One last episode for 2019 and it is all about phishing scams, links, attachments and how you should be updating your kid's consoles, not clicking on those links.
Episode #10-20 released on December 22, 2019
If you forget about the past, you are doomed to repeat it in the future. We all know about phishing scams in emails, and yet, many businesses, cities, schools, hospitals, and individuals are targeted every single day in an attempt to extort, defraud and destroy people's identities. And, it can all start with a single email with a link or attachment.
In a single week, I've had several phishing emails trying to convince me that my Youtube channel had received a spam complaint, false. That my alert function for my bank account was disabled due to security issues, again, false. And, I, also, received a supposed refund notice from Amazon asking to confirm my information, again, another false email.
I don't believe a single thing I read, I am thorough, I will confirm that each of the emails I get its legitimate and then proceed, and I avoid clicking links in emails, especially when I cannot examine the link first. Having some caution in your life can be a great for your own life and that of your workplace.
The consequences of clicking on links or opening attachments have been published in many newspapers and online blogs. Cities across the world having all their computers infected with ransomware, many hospitals, too. Many business falling prey to similar attacks. Individuals are not safe from these either. Then there are the identity fraud cases where a simple MITM attack caused by clicking a link in an email allows hackers access to your bank accounts, accounts of other websites, etc. Many able to defeat multifactor authentication because the victim unknowingly provides the token to the fake website. And these only gets more and more prominent around the holidays.
What can you do to be safe these holidays, and all year round?
Be vigilante, do not open attachments, click on any links, especially from email addresses you don't know. Definitely pay attention to the email itself, if a company sends an email officially, it looks a very particular way. Phishers will try to copy that, but it won't be identical. They like to prey on those who don't know better or aren't paying attention.
What happens if you click on a link, or open an attachment and computer because compromised?
Close the computer, if you are in a business, medical or government setting, notify your IT department immediately. You stand to save them thousands, even millions of dollars by turning off the pc and notifying them that your computer is compromised. They can take immediate action and prevent the migration of such infections.
What happens if you do the same at home, or your own personal accounts become compromised?
Take immediate action. Close computer, call or contact any website or business holding your compromised account. The faster you contact those businesses, the less you stand to lose, period.
And, as always, make sure you use a different password on every website you use.
And this Christmas, instead of clicking links, try updating your kids consoles before wrapping them.
Next episode will be January 7, 2020.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Dot Net