Just when you thought the last of the pirates had shaken you down for treats, Dell has issued a reminder that the real creeps never stop trick or treating. Any day of the year, you could get an email with a link or attachment that looks like quite a treat – but isn’t. Of course, we all know better than to open unexpected links from strangers, but when you’re dealing with the public you get countless emails from strangers. Those strangers are often potential customers. With a strong firewall and security system, it is easy to get careless, especially when the email seems legit and especially on a Friday afternoon. This isn’t emails asking you to help some distressed royalty hide their fortune. According to research by Checkpoint, France, the USA and Sweden are the top three ‘attacking countries.
If only the only pirate we had to deal with were children with eye patches shouting ‘trick or treat’… but cyber pirates can strike at any time. Ransomware is basically extortion. When you open the malware link or attachment, a virus programme freezes everything on the system. You can’t access your documents or apps or anything. The cyber pirates demand a ransom to restore your system, and Dell claims that more than $2 million was paid in ransom last year. But these are criminals. There’s no guarantee paying the money will fix anything. And you can often save your computer. Backing up your documents to a cloud server can help protect them.
Dell Technologies firm RSA says that phishing trebled in the second quarter of this year over the same period last year. Phishing is when fraudsters send out emails that appear to be from big-name companies in an effort to con you into revealing the details they need to access your bank account. Newstalk 102 recently reported on an email purporting to be from the Bank of Ireland directing recipients to a link where they were asked to enter their PIN and date of birth. The site had ripped off Bank of Ireland’s graphics, but the URL was not a Bank of Ireland site.
These cyber pirates are sophisticated. They have great skills, and they create emails and websites with familiar logos and slogans. You don’t have to be gullible to fall, victim. Matrix Internet can help you make sure your system’s security is strong and savvy about the latest threats. Contact us to learn more.
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By Irene Hislop
By Jeff Sheridan