Top five ways cybercriminals hack your computer

Cybercriminals and Cybercrime increases with each passing year, with the total cost of these attacks expected to cost around $6 trillion by the end of 2021. That vast amount of money is set to hit more than ten trillion dollars by 2025.

The covid pandemic has only exacerbated this rapid increase. Since it’s ordinary people  who are victims far more often than companies, everyone must know what scams to look out for and how to avoid them. Let’s look at five common ways cybercriminals can end up causing you financial problems and stress.

Phishing

Phishing is when you receive an email or a message from a cybercriminal pretending to be from a legitimate business. For example, Netflix, Amazon, your bank, and so on.

This email or message will tell you that your account has been hacked, there is suspicious activity, or perhaps even that you are due a refund of some sort.

You will then be asked to click on a link within the message. The link usually takes you to a form where you can fill in personal information, banking data, passwords, etc.

Often people believe that the message they have been sent is trying to help them. Thus, they won’t stop and analyze the contents thoroughly enough.

How to avoid phishing scams

• Don’t open emails from people you don’t know/ones you weren’t already expecting.
• Don’t click on links or open attachments from unknown contacts.
• Double-check the sender’s email address; if it’s from a legitimate company, the email address will be from a business address.

Password Hacking

How many accounts online do you have for banking, entertainment, travel, social media, and everything else? 20? 50? Whatever the answer is, it’s too many for you to remember unique passwords for each one.

So, people tend to use the same password for everything. Because of this, hackers have a much easier time causing you far more problems once they have managed to get a password for just one account you own.

How to avoid password hacking

• Use a different password for each account.
• Don’t use obvious or easy to guess passwords such as ‘password123’.
• Utilize a tool like a password manager to create unique passwords for you.
• Check if any password associated with your email has been hacked.

Public WiFi

Public WiFi can be a serious problem for two main reasons. First, public WiFi uses an open network. That means anyone can go behind the scenes and see who is using the network, what they’re doing, and what information is on their device.

Secondly, hackers can impersonate a public WiFi network/wireless access point. This way, you will give them all the personal information if you connect to them.

How to avoid public WiFi scams

• If possible, don’t use public WiFi networks; try and use your phone data as a hotspot instead.
• Connect to a VPN on your device before joining the public WiFi. A VPN will mask your details and keep all your personal information secure.

Malware

Malware is software that has been designed to wreak havoc on your device, steal your data, insert viruses, and more. You can be a victim of a malware attack by clicking on an unknown link or attachment in a message, visiting a malicious website, or even having it put on your device via a USB among others.

How to avoid malware scams

• Never click unknown links or attachments.
• Before browsing, connect to a VPN that will detect malicious websites for you and thus prevent you from landing on the wrong kind of site.

Cookie Thefts

Your web browser uses cookies to store personal data like usernames, passwords, and browsing history for any site you use. Cybercriminals can send data packets through your computer and retrieve this stored information.

How to Avoid Cookie Thefts

• Use a VPN to encrypt your personal data when browsing any website.
• Only use websites that start with HTTPS (no S = not secure).
• Delete cookies after every session.

Final Thoughts – Being cautious when browsing online, using a VPN to surf a public network, and never opening emails from unknown senders are all fantastic ways you can prevent yourself from being a victim of some of the world’s most common cyber attacks.

Other articles from mtltimes.ca – totimes.ca – otttimes.ca