Cyber Security Awareness Month with Binary City (2021)
(watch the recap video at the bottom of the page)
Cybercrimes are rising at a rapid pace. So? What is cybercrime? Bots? Phishing? Passwords? Why should you care? These are some of the topics we'll be spreading awareness about. Ultimately, how can you keep your data, identity and finances safe when you are online.
To help spread this message we called upon our dear friends at Radiowave, Namibia's #1 Hit Music Station, to help us.
Tune in to Radiowave 96.7 FM during the month of October, every Tuesday at 07h45. The Tech Tuesday Show will be promoting Cyber Security Awareness Month with Binary City! Binary City's very own Co-founder, Rayno Burger, will be on air speaking about the ins and out of cyber security and how you can keep yourself and your company safe.
Let's look at a few topics to be aware about...
Cybercrime
What is it?
Cybercrime is any crime which is committed electronically. This can include :
Theft
Fraud
Threat to life
Examples
Identity theft
Child sexual abuse materials
Financial theft
Intellectual property violations
Malware
Malicious social engineering
Identity theft
Child sexual abuse materials
Financial theft
Intellectual property violations
Malware
Malicious social engineering
Why should you care?
Crime is a danger offline and on! Cyber self-defense basics can go a long way to keeping you and your data out of the hands of bad actors. Billions of dollars are lost every year due to a cyber crimes. If we don't spread awareness towards online safety, falling victim to a scam is highly probable.
In a recent case study about people who were approached by scammers on social media, 91% engaged, and 53% lost money.
Malware
What is it?
Any software intended to :
Damage
Disable
Or give someone unauthorized access to your computer or other internet-connected device
Examples
Ransomware
Adware
Botnets
Rootkits
Spyware
Viruses
Worms
Why should you care?
Most cybercrime begins with some sort of malware. You, your family, and your personal information is almost certainly at risk if malware finds its way onto your computer or devices.
Ransomware
What is it?
Malware designed to make data or hardware inaccessible to the victim until a ransom is paid.
Examples
Cryptolocker
Winlock
Cryptowall
Reveton
Bad rabbit
Crysis
Wannacry
Why should you care?
Often downloaded as malicious email links...
That can cause damage to both financial stability and reputation,
With no guarantee that you will get your data back, even if you pay,
And often used as a decoy for other malicious activity
(There was a recent article on CNN Business about the rise in ransomware attacks and ways to stop them. Good read too.)
Bots
What is it?
Bots are a type of program used for automating tasks on the internet.
Did You Know?
Not all bots are bad. When you use a search engine, these results are made possible by the help of bots “crawling” the internet and indexing content. Chatbots like Siri and Alexa are another common type of “good” bot.
Why should you care?
Malicious bots can :
Gather passwords
Log keystrokes
Obtain financial information
Hijack social media accounts
Use your email to send spam
Open back doors on the infected device
Physical Cyber Attacks
What is it?
Physical cyber attacks use hardware, external storage devices, or other physical attack vectors to infect, damage, or otherwise compromise digital systems. This can include :
USB storage devices
CD/DVD
Internet of Things (IoT)
Did you know?
Anything connected to the internet is potentially vulnerable, from e-scooters to laptops to cargo ships.
Why should you care?
Easy to overlook
Difficult to identify and detect
Extremely difficult to remove
Can do anything from installing ransomware, to sending copies of or modifying information systems, to dismantling networks
Social Engineering
What is it?
Cybercriminals can take advantage of you by using information commonly available through :
Social media platforms
Location sharing
In-person conversations
Examples
Phishing
Pretexting
Baiting
Quid pro quo
Tailgating
Inside job
Swatting
Why should you care?
Your privacy isn’t just a luxury – it’s a security measure. Attacks can be successful with little to no programming knowledge or ability. Technological security measures can only protect you so much.....you, are your best defense.
Phishing
What is it?
Fake messages from a seemingly trusted or reputable source designed to convince you to :
Reveal information
Give unauthorized access to a system
Click on a link
Commit to a financial transaction
Examples
Emails
Text messages
Phone calls
Social media messages and posts
Suspicious hyperlinks
Why should you care?
Extremely common and can have severe consequences for individuals and companies.
According to the 2021 Identity Fraud Study by Javelin Strategy & Research, online fraud costed US consumers about $56 billion in 2020, with about 49 million consumers falling victim. That's roughly N$844 billion...staggering!
How can you better protect yourself online?
Secure your networks
Wireless routers are a way for cybercriminals to access online devices.
Stay up to date
Keep software updated to the latest versions and set security software to run regular scans.
If you connect it, protect it
One proven defense against intrusion is updating to the latest virus protection software.
Double your login protection
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to ensure that the only person who has access to your account is you.
Passwords
Something to know - Password or credential stuffing is a cyberattack that tries “stuffing” already comprised username and passwords from one site into another site in hopes that the user uses the same login information across platforms. Oh yes, so here are some tips :
Use different passwords on different systems and accounts
Use the longest password allowed
Use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
Reset your password every few months
Use a password manager
As of January 2021 there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide - 59.5 percent of the global population. Of this total, 92.6 percent (4.32 billion) accessed the internet via mobile devices. Sadly, only a small percentage of us follow good online safety practices. Share this knowledge to those you care about...you could be save them from falling victim to cybercrimes.
Did you miss it? Watch all four episodes :
Part content researched : cisa.gov