6 Types of Cybercrime and How to Protect Yourself
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Employees working from home now more than ever before are providing cyber criminals with an increasing number of opportunities to strike. Cyber criminals are selling the stolen login credentials of people using video conferencing applications for work. SCMediaUK has observed references for apps for video conferencing applications jump by 63% on the black market from February to March.
Stolen login credentials are just one of the commodities cybercriminals are after. To help you understand and navigate the current cybercrime climate, this blog post will outline different types of cybercrime and how to protect yourself.
What is Cybercrime?
According to TechTarget, cybercrime is any criminal activity that involves a computer, device, or network. Cyber criminals will typically use malware and other types of software to gain access to sensitive data for financial gain.
Botnets
The name ‘botnet’ comes from ‘robot’ and ‘network.’ These are used to distribute Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS) to steal data or send spam while allowing the attacker to access the device and its connection.
Cyberbullying
Bullying that occurs on an online platform (e.g. social media sites and applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat) or through electronic communication devices (e.g. WhatsApp, text messages).
Identity Theft
It is essential to be cautious when giving out personal information and on what platform you give it out on. There are many types of frauds and scams online, so keep details about your social insurance card, passport, and birth certificate offline or only use on secure networks and sites. When performing online transactions, make sure the site is secure, has a privacy policy, and the company is reputable. Regularly check your monthly statements for any unapproved or missing transactions.
Malware
Malware is a harmful software, program, or file. It includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and spyware. Malware can steal, encrypt, or delete sensitive data. It can also alter, hijack, and monitor your activity without your knowledge or permission.
Text/Email Phishing Scam
These are scams that attempt to convince you to input personal information. These messages appear legitimate in order to persuade you to send detailed information, usually in response to an urgent request. If you click on a link or reply to one of these messages, whoever sent it gains access to your personal information (contacts, accounts, passwords). For more information on how to identify and protect yourself from phishing attacks, see our blog post.
Ransomware
Ransomware denies access to a computer system or data with either encryptors or screen locks, until the victim pays a ransom fee to the attacker. It is a type of malicious software commonly spread through phishing emails or by victims (both individuals and organizations) visiting an infected website unknowingly. Protect yourself by not clicking on links or attachments from unknown senders. Also make sure your operating system is up to date.
How do I Protect Myself Against Cybercrime?
In addition to following the steps we outlined above, you can check out our blog post which includes additional tips.
Does your business rely on a UTM (unified threat management solution) for web filtering? Consider implementing a dedicated web filtering solution. A dedicated web filtering solution provides additional security. It can help block malware, phishing, and viruses. It can also provide selective SSL decryption (which is useful for finding malware hiding in SSL). Contact us for free 7-day trial of our web filtering solution for businesses, which includes a Productivity Assessment Profile.
To learn more about the latest cybersecurity threats and how to protect yourself and your business, download our whitepaper on Cybercrime and Internet Security.