Cyber crime was the fastest growing crime in 2015 with over 756 million cyber attacks and $1,034 million stolen from businesses around the world, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). To put this in perspective, an average of 4,000 cyber attacks occur every minute and 2 million users fall victim to identity theft each year. The fact of the matter is that anyone can fall victim to cyber crime at any time. Therefore, it’s crucial that individuals and organizations adopt appropriate measures to avoid falling victim to cyber criminals through awareness, education and vigilance.
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The increase in cyber attacks
In the last few years, there has been an increase in cyber awareness with more and more people becoming victims to these crimes. The United States Department of Justice found that during 2016, over $5 billion was lost due to online fraud. In addition to financial losses, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of ransomware attacks, which is when hackers encrypt your data and hold it hostage until a ransom is paid. Some of the most notable ransomware attacks include WannaCry and Petya/NotPetya, both of which were responsible for widespread damage across multiple countries. Another type of attack is phishing scams where emails are sent out from accounts impersonating banks or other companies such as Netflix or FedEx to trick users into entering their login credentials or providing credit card information.
The types of attacks that are happening
There are many types of attacks that happen every day. Phishing is one type that is common, where a hacker tricks you into giving them your personal information. They might send you an email with a link to a website and ask for your username or password for that site. If you give it to them, they might use it to log into your account and do things like change the password or delete your data. You can protect yourself by making sure the link leads to a site you trust before entering any information on it, and never enter your login credentials on any site that doesn’t have the green lock icon beside its address in your browser bar.
This attack has been seen recently when hackers sent people emails telling them they were being given free Amazon Prime memberships if they clicked on a special link. When people did click on the link, their accounts got hijacked instead of being given Prime memberships as promised.
Who is most at risk
Cyber awareness is crucial for everyone, but it has a significant impact on children. Children are the most at risk because they don’t have a lot of experience with the internet. They may be more trusting and more likely to share personal information or engage in inappropriate behavior. As children get older, they tend to become more aware of risks and consequences, but cyber awareness should always be a priority. Parents can play an important role by being active participants in their children’s online activity. If there are any indications that your child is engaging in risky behaviors online, you should contact them immediately and set up boundaries so they know what they can do online. You can also create a Family Agreement so you and your child understand expectations when using the computer.
What you can do to protect yourself
1) Be informed about threats and what you can do to protect yourself.
2) Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity or changes.
3) Always use strong passwords, change them often, and never share them with others.
4) Turn on two-step verification for your most important accounts like email, social media, banking, etc. 5) Avoid clicking on links from unknown sources or opening attachments without being sure they are safe.
6) Report any incidents right away.
7) Do not give out personal information when you are unsure of who is asking for it.
8) Protect your devices by updating software regularly and removing malware as soon as possible if it becomes a problem.
9) Never allow anyone to log into your computer remotely unless you know who they are and trust them completely.
The importance of being aware
In today’s world, it is vital that we are aware of the many threats we face on a daily basis. As well as the dangers that these threats pose to us and our personal information. In recent years, an increasing number of cyber attacks have been happening across the globe and with more people using computers on a regular basis, this is only going to increase. One of the biggest issues for those who don’t take the time to learn about security risks can lead to compromised credit card numbers, hacked bank accounts and even identity theft. It is also possible for viruses or malware from one device to infect another through shared folders or USB devices which means that anyone who connects their device has a higher risk for being attacked by hackers.