Do you ever wonder who has access to your information online? A friend recently posted a warning on Facebook that she had received a PayPal (News - Alert) email that appeared to be completely legitimate. PayPal – supposedly – was warning her that her account had been compromised, but they stopped the activity before anything happened. She was then instructed to click the link included so she could update her account. Fortunately she recognized that this was a scam.
It’s the simplest form of cybercrime and a surprising number of individuals fall for it every day. Even my friend attested to how well the email was designed – she really thought it was from PayPal. Fortunately, she suspected it was not before she clicked on a link and then took the time to warn her friends.
This is just one example of how those with a lot of time on their hands will try to trick those who tend to be trusting out of their information and then their money. In situations like this, at least the victim has the option to either fall for it or not. Too often, the hacking occurs in situations where the consumer has no choice and their information is taken away. It’s the exact reason why there needs to be a heavier focus on IT cyber security training.
Information Age recently posted a piece on the topic, highlighting that cybersecurity reached an ominous milestone in late December of last year. This time, it wasn’t money the hackers were going after – at least not directly. Instead, the BlackEnergy malware attack led to a severe blackout in the Ukraine as hundreds of thousands of homes were significantly severed from the power grid. Known as the Sandworm Gang, the developers of BlackEnergy are responsible for a number of attacks aimed at government agencies, demonstrating that government infrastructure is increasingly a target.
Losing power is just one threat against innocent users the world over. The news channels have been quick to report the security breaches that continue to threaten big brands such as Target (News - Alert), Slack and even the IRS. As much as IT cyber security training has become a priority for a number of companies, the opposite is true for those seeking to hack the system. They want to stay one step ahead of those in place to protect their networks so as to ensure their hard work produces some level of benefit.
These individuals are faceless, yet well-funded as every time they are able to breach a system, they discover valuable information. Companies and individual users alike have to go on the offensive if they hope to keep these criminals out. That requires an intense focus on IT cyber security training, as well as consistent monitoring and ongoing updates. Without this type of approach, the criminals will only prosper.