Rob Duncan

CYBER SECURITY RESEARCH Cyber Attacks Overview The Truth Behind Email Hacks Email hacking has become more prevalent as fraudsters continue to find more innovative techniques to manipulate this popular communication method. Below, we have included some of the most notable email hacks being reported in the market. We’ve also included some best tips and practices to help prevent you from falling victim to these debilitating attacks. Phishing Examined Phishing is a popular hack among fraudsters which involves making emails look as if they are being sent from a legitimate company. These emails normally request personal information such as passwords and account numbers to verify or validate an account. Unknowingly, people reply will back with this information believing that it came from a legitimate sender. As a result, these fraudsters can use this information to open new accounts, gain access to existing accounts and commit other types of identity fraud. Hackers generally embed malware, trojans as well as other viruses within emails as a means of gaining access to a user’s personal information. Above all, these viruses open a door into your computer allowing hackers to steal personal information such as passwords and more. Preventative Measures Include: • Change your passwords frequently. Also, when creating a password for the first time, it’s advised to use a password generating program to increase the level of difficulty associated with your passwords. • Avoid opening emails and attachments if you do not know where it originated from. As outlined above, some hackers are using Phishing techniques to try to offset this. However, if you regularly check your email, you should be able to identify the difference between an email sent from a legitimate company and one that is sent with the intention of trying to imitate one. What do we do? 1 CYBER SECURITY RESEARCH Cyber Attacks Overview • Avoid entering any personal information on public computers. This one may be hard. There are plenty of reasons for why a person may need to use a public computer. However, if you are desperate and you accessed your personal email or personal accounts from a public computer, it’s advised to change your password once you get back into a secured location. • Public WiFi may be convenient but there are plenty of vulnerabilities. Take the same precautions as you would when using a public computer. Avoid entering and accessing any personal information while connected. • Always scan attachments before opening them. This includes attachments from friends and family. Why? They may be forwarding you something that came from an unknown source and they were unaware of the dangers. Literally, this 10 second step will help keep your information safe and secured. OFFICE-BASED AGENCY 2 CYBER SECURITY RESEARCH Cyber Attacks Overview Cryptojacking Uncovered Cryptojacking is a form of malware used to mine for valuable online currencies like Bitcoin. The primary purpose of cryptojacking is to take over and exploit the resources associated with a computer or a mobile device. Consequently, this type of malware is vicious. Cryptojacking involves infecting a computer or device with a form of malware that remains hidden on a device. This hidden malware can easily cripple devices, servers, web browsers and more. The worst part is that most users may not notice that their device has been affected. This innovative software is designed to stay hidden from users while effectively scavenging the device resources. Money is the driving force behind cryptojacking. Most noteworthy, mining cryptocurrencies can be extremely profitable if someone has the means and the resources. Types of Cryptojacking Essentially, there are two main type of cryptojacking. One of these types involves using emails as a means to deliver malware to unsuspecting victims. Once the email is opened and/or the attachment is downloaded on to the computer, there’s a specific code that is copied onto the computer allowing access to outside entities. Another common type of cryptojacking involves coding. Specifically, a hacker will place Javascript code on a specific website and whoever visits this website will be infected with this malware. Cryptojacking Summary While Cryptojacking is still relatively new, it poses a significant online threat for many. Prevention is the key here. Having adequate security to detect such threats before you are infected is the ideal strategy. Also, when applicable, it’s advised to block Javascripts in your browsers where possible. OFFICE-BASED AGENCY 3 CYBER SECURITY RESEARCH Cyber Attacks Overview In-Depth Review and Analysis of Text Hacking With the reliance on mobile communications at an all time high, text hacking has become more prevalent over the past few years. There are many forms of text hacking including innovative techniques which can infect phones with just a single text. In a recent study conducted by cybersecurity company, Zimperium, it was discovered that mobile devices had a pronounced flaw which allowed devices to be hacked by text messages. Both Android devices and Apple devices were the vulnerable to these nasty computer bugs. In most cases that were discovered, the user’s device was exposed to the hack despite not even opening the message. In the case of Apple devices, a single text was sent with minimal words included. Ultimately, the hack would render iMessages inoperable. More importantly, a user’s private information was at the mercy of such hacks. Nearly 95% of all Android users were susceptible to this hack. With Android devices, the hack provided an open door for hackers to take total control of the infected Android devices. Despite attempts by Google and others to limit the access of hackers, these innovative text hacks provided a work around to those enhanced security measures. Text Hacking Summary While things were eventually resolved, and the threat eventually eliminated for both Android and Apple devices, there are still many questions about future prevention of such text hacks. There were many victims whose information was exposed due to this hack. If you have questions and/or feel that you may have experienced data losses because of this type of hacking, contact the data recovery professionals of XYZ today and schedule a free consultation with our agents. OFFICE-BASED AGENCY 4