Cybersecurity Tips – December 2021 

In the second quarter of 2021, phishing increased over 280%, and in the month of June alone, 4.2 billion phishing emails were detected as having been sent.  Phishing continues to be one of the top cybersecurity threats.  It is the primary method criminals use to steal credentials, hijack accounts, and compromise businesses.

The sophistication and the quality of these phishing attacks are increasing. While phishing continues to thrive, social media is increasingly being used for impersonation, fraud, and other cyber threats.  Some are using sophisticated automation techniques to give the appearance of trusted website domains.  At one time only large businesses were being targeted, but now small and medium size businesses, are also targets of phishing.  Unfortunately, many small and medium size businesses do not think it will ever happen to them, so if it does, they often are not prepared.

The same is also often true for individuals, who fall prey to phishing attacks.  AtlasVPN researchers reported the US Military and veterans have lost more than $822 million to scams since 2017.  Upon further analysis of data received from the US Federal Trade Commission, they found that reservists and military families lost the most money to scams ($484.4 million), followed by veterans and retirees. The financial damages of veterans and military retirees encompass 35% of all losses at $290.1 million.

How does Phishing work?  A cybercriminal sends an email containing a malicious file or link which deploys malware when clicked by a recipient.  Cyber criminals historically have used generic, broad-based spamming strategies to deploy their malware.  Criminals may also use the malware to compromise a victim’s email account to enable the cybercriminal to use the victim’s email account to further spread the infection. Once the criminal has control of your email account, they can view your activity, gather information contained in emails, and capture both passwords and personal information, as well as much more.  You may not even know your email or computer have been compromised.

How should you protect yourself?

• Use caution with online communications
  • Verify the sender of the email – Often criminals will change just one letter in an email address to make it look like one you know.
  • Be wary of attachments and links.
  • Hover you mouse over a link before clicking to see where it is sending you.
• Question anyone who is offering you something that is too good to be true, has a secret investment opportunity, or medical advice.
• Rely on trusted sources that you know and do business with.