Cybercrime on the Rise

Cybercrime is criminal activity undertaken using computers and the Internet.  The most prevalent type  of cybercrime is identity theft.  This involves criminals using the Internet to steal personal information.  Two of the most common ways this is done is through phishing and pharming.  Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, often for malicious reasons, by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.  Pharming is the fraudulent practice of directing Internet users to a bogus website that mimics the appearance of a legitimate one, in order to obtain personal information such as passwords or account numbers.

Here are a few frightening statistics about cybercrime:

• $600 billion stolen last year
• 1 in 6 people had their email hacked last year
• 1 in 3 had personal information compromised
• 66% were affected by some type of security issue

The biggest loss of money was due to insecure email accounts being hacked.  There are many ways in which a compromised email account can be used against you.  It can be used to mine personal information from your account which could then be used to steal your identity.  Another common practice is using your email to send your contacts  malware-laden spam or phishing attacks. (You’ve likely gotten a strange looking email from a friend or acquaintance at least once asking you to “click here” or download this attachment).  Hackers could also use the information they find in your email — like which businesses and organizations you regularly communicate with — to construct highly targeted phishing campaigns where they try to steal even more information from you.  They could reset your passwords for other services or accounts linked to your email address (banking, shopping, etc.).

Protecting yourself is a combination of awareness, good security practices, strong security software, and routine maintenance and updates to software and operating systems.  iSharpe Computer Solutions can help with all of the above, give us a call (336-260-0664) to learn more!