There are several ways criminals obtain your sensitive information:
- Phishing: uses emails and links,
- Smishing: uses text messages or common messaging apps
- Vishing: uses voice calls and voicemails
- Quishing: uses QR Codes
Phishing is the practice of sending fraudulent communications that appear to come from a legitimate and reputable source through email. The attacker’s goal is to steal money, gain access to sensitive data and login information, or to install malware on the victim’s device.
Smishing (SMS Phishing) is a social engineering attack that uses fake mobile text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information or sending money to cybercriminals.
Vishing (short for voice phishing) refers to fraudulent phone calls or voice messages, designed to trick victims into providing sensitive information, like login credentials, credit card numbers, or bank details.
Quishing (QR Code Phishing) is a social engineering phishing attack that intentionally deceives its recipients into scanning a QR code, redirecting the person to a bogus website. These are most often sent embedded in an email, these code images sidestep security controls and most link filters, making them far more dangerous than most other forms of phishing.
What can you do to protect yourself from becoming a victim?
- Protect your computer by using security software, such as Norton or McAfee.
- Protect your cell phone by setting software to update automatically.
- Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication
- Do not use the same password for multiple logins
- It is recommended that you use a password manager, such as Roboforms or NordPass
- Protect your data by backing it up:
To back up your computer, you can use a variety of methods, including:
Windows Backup
Backs up files, themes, settings, apps, Wi-Fi information, and more. To back up your folders, you can:
- Launch Windows Backup
- Select Folders
- Select the folders you want to back up
- Toggle the switch for each folder to On
External hard drive
A popular option because they're portable, inexpensive, and easy to connect. To back up your files, you can:
- Connect the drive to your computer with a USB cable
- Choose the files or folders to copy onto the drive
Cloud storage
You can use services like:
- Dropbox: Automatically backs up your devices
- Microsoft OneDrive: Saves documents online
Browser built-in backup
Major browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge have built-in backup. You can sync your data across browsers and computers. (Please note that Microsoft retired their browser Explorer in 2022. That web browser is no longer supported. You should not be using that browser)
You can also back up your computer by:
- Using the File History feature in Windows 10
- Archiving or making copies of information stored in iCloud