Cybercrime – Current Trends

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” –Zig Ziglar

Bad actors continue to target individuals, using various cybercrime schemes to steal individuals’ personal information and assets. As a result, it is important to understand current cybercrime trends, as well as steps you can take to help protect your sensitive data.

Types of cybercrime attacks:

Some of the most common types of cybercrime attacks include: Email phishing, whereby criminals attempt to trick individuals into revealing their sensitive information by clicking a malicious link. These criminals are often posing as trusted entities, such as the victim’s bank or a family member or colleague. Spear phishing, which is an attack targeted at a specific individual that is created when the criminal gathers information on the victim using public and private records. Whaling is similar, but is designed to target business executives, highranking officials or celebrities. Smishing, which is similar to email phishing, but involves the use of a text message from a bad actor pretending to be a trusted entity, like the USPS or FedEx. Vishing, which involves the use of fraudulent call centers, which contact victims attempting to obtain their sensitive information over the phone.

1. Scrutinize all emails and text messages. Specifically, look at the: a. Sender’s name and email address – while the sender’s name may look legitimate, you often will find that the associated email address looks suspicious. b. Spelling and grammar – phishing attacks often include misspelled words and poor grammar. c. Hyperlinks – before clicking any link within an email message, hover over the hyperlink to see if the place you are being sent to appears legitimate. d. Overall content – be wary of messages that create a false sense of urgency or offers that sound too good to be true. Further, consider the legitimacy of the message; for example, if you receive a message from UPS but were not expecting a package, the message could be spam. 2. When you receive correspondence from what appears to be a trusted entity, such as a bank or an individual you know, close out of the message and contact that entity using information you already have or can obtain (for example, a phone number you have saved or information on the business’ website). Similarly, if an email suggests you should access a financial account or other website via a link in the email, close out of the email and instead go directly to the provider’s website. 3. Protect your online accounts using unique user IDs and passwords. While it may be convenient to share user IDs and passwords across sites, if this information gets into the hands of a criminal, that criminal will have access to a wealth of your sensitive and/or financial information. Also, be sure your passwords are long and complex. 4. Set up two-factor authentication for all of your online accounts. This added layer of security requires you to enter a unique security code that is sent to your phone or email whenever you attempt to log in, and is required in addition to your regular user ID and password. 5. Use a password manager. It can be very challenging to remember all of one’s user IDs and passwords, but password manager apps can help by securely storing all of this information in one place. 6. Ensure the websites you visit have the “https” prefix in the site’s address. “Https” indicates that the connection to the site is encrypted, which is an important added layer of security. 7. Avoid the use of public Wi-Fi. Bad actors can easily intercept public Wi-Fi and track your activity on the internet, collecting your sensitive data in the process. Over time, cybercriminals are becoming more and more sophisticated, which is why it is important to be incredibly diligent.