The holiday season has come and gone in a blur and cybercriminals didn’t let up. In a number of instances that may be reported or not in the media, some people may have fallen for phishing scams.
End-to-end security solutions firm Sophos has advised consumers and online users to be vigilant in clicking links sent to them by friends.
“With phishing scams, cybercriminals will trick people into opening a link to a malicious site asking for personal information like usernames, passwords, and financial details, or downloading/opening attachments that will install malware on users’ computers,” said Sumit Bansal, managing director, Sophos ASEAN.
Have you read “Sophos uncovers new version of Snatch ransomware”?
Bansal shared some actionable tips people should keep in mind:
- Make it a practice to double-check the file extension of an attachment or the URL of a website sent to you — even if from people you know and trust. We never know ahead when other people’s accounts have gotten compromised. If the file or the website looks unfamiliar, do not proceed.
- Never log-in through webpages opened from a link sent via an unsolicited email or a private message.
- If you get an email that looks like it was from an institution you do business with, call them up instead of clicking on any links. That way, you can verify whether the email is real without any potential harm.
- Always create unique passwords for each personal account, especially each bank account. Change them regularly.
- Enable 2-factor authentication when it’s available.
- Don’t enable macros in document attachments received via email.
- Back up regularly and keep a recent backup copy off-site.
- Secure your computer with advanced real-time security protection.