Results from a recent getsafeonline.org survey show that 56% of adults in the United Kingdom have been targeted through online attacks. Interestingly, 65% of those attacked haven’t changed their computing behavior.
The top 5 attacks where:
- Viruses
- Email attacks
- Social media attacks
- Fraud driven sales
- Online credit card fraud
29% of respondents didn’t realize that they were increasing their risks of becoming victims. Interestingly 17% of respondents admitted that they were embarrassed to admit having fallen victim to online attack.
Interestingly the top 5 attacks could be easily mitigated through vigilance, improving your knowledge about online attacks and implementing better online security hygiene (using more stringent security settings on sites, implementing 2 factor authentication where available, etc.).
Tips:
- MyPermissions - Secure social media information
- Use complex passwords (which include uppercase+lowercase letters, numbers and symbols)
- Use different passwords for different sites
- Enable 2 step authentication (if you use Google Services).
- Only download software from reputable sites and scan it before executing it.
- Never submit personal information via email (banks never ask for your personal information)
- Never open emails from unknown people.
- Assume everything you do is monitored when using 3rd party WIFI hotspots.
- Log Out of your sites when your work is done (don't just close the browser).
- Install a security plug-in like https everywhere.
- Remember you can't easily verify someone's identify on the internet (be wary of trusting strangers online).