Top 7 Cyber ​​Threats to Beware of | Free Antivirus Software

 The 7 main cyber threats to be wary of 

Cybercrime, cyber attacks, and cyber threats are on the rise. On average, fraud victims will shell out $ 776 out of pocket and waste 20 hours trying to repair the damage caused by identity thieves. Here are the seven continuing threats that illustrate today's data protection challenges.

Hacking of data relating to online sales

Saw a surge in cyberattacks against large companies like Target, where hackers stole 40 million credit and debit card numbers from customers.

While much of the responsibility lies with the reseller, for example in protecting and keeping their payment methods up to date, keeping an eye on your bank account and card statements is a good way to stay protected during a transaction. attacks on online stores.

Mobile Security and Vulnerability Threats on Smartphones

Cybercriminals can easily exploit vulnerabilities on your mobile phone to gain private data. These vulnerabilities sometimes originate from applications that you use or that are installed on your smartphone. Protect yourself by researching the apps you download, paying attention to the emails you open and the images you decide to download.

Phishing and social engineering

When cybercriminals trick people into divulging sensitive information like passwords and social security numbers, it is called phishing. One of the most common phishing techniques is that someone receives an email purportedly from a bank or government agency and is redirected to sites that appear genuine. Once on the dummy site, the person is asked to enter their password, social security number, and financial details.

Cybercriminals seek out this information to use it for their own ends. Phishing is part of a larger problem called social engineering, which is primarily about manipulating people's feelings to gain access to sensitive data. Do not fall into these traps. Remember, real government agencies and real banks never ask to verify potentially sensitive information.

Identity theft

One of the fastest-growing Internet crimes is identity theft. Many of the points discussed earlier in this article can lead to identity theft, phishing emails, and data breaches.

Identity thieves will steal your personal information and open loan and credit card accounts in your name. Even though some of these things are beyond the control of an average individual, there are still many things that can be done to protect your identity.

Health data hacking

Medical records, which contain sensitive and important information, are the main targets for cybercriminals, which can easily lead to identity theft. This information is often used for health insurance fraud, such as buying and selling fake prescriptions. Always monitor the news for reports of health data breaches.

Sexual predators targeting children

Users seeking to exploit children hide in the dark corners of the Internet to sell and buy obscene and illegal photos. These exchanges take place by e-mail, via P2P (peer-to-peer) file-sharing programs or, increasingly, on the Dark Web, a part of the Internet inaccessible from standard search engines. . Given the worrying nature of these trends, these sites should be avoided and left to the relevant law enforcement agencies to manage them.

Another danger on the Internet targeting children: sexual predators encourage them, or attempt to do so, to meet them in real life; they also seek to share obscene pornographic images with them. Make sure your kids are fully aware of the dangers: never talking to strangers on the internet, and never sharing personal information with people they've never met.

Attacks on banks

 The most famous example of this is that of this group of criminals who have stolen up to a billion dollars in almost two years from various financial institutions around the world. Cybercriminals were targeting bank officials and employees with a malicious program called "Carbanak" sent by email.

After successfully infecting targeted computers, cybercriminals were able to successfully reproduce employee behavior and wire themselves funds, order ATMs to dispense tickets at certain times, and used online payment systems to filter the money. silver. Some experts like Ben Lawsky say that a major attack on the banking system could be the equivalent of a "digital September 11". 

Security awareness is the first line of defense. Strong security tools are available to help you, but remember that you also need to use common sense to protect yourself and your computer and information.

Precautionary measures:

For your accounts, use complex passwords that are difficult to guess, containing numbers, lowercase, and uppercase. Avoid passwords like 12345, etc. ;

Don't open suspicious emails that ask you to re-enter your sensitive data;

Destroy your sensitive documents;

Secure your Internet connection if you must use public Wi-Fi;

Update your free antivirus software.