Cybersecurity Awareness Month - Week 4
Recognize and Report Phishing
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Each Monday in October, we cover one short topic on practical ways to stay safer online: strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and software updates. This week’s focus: recognize and report phishing.
You do not have to be technical to make a cybercriminal’s job harder. Small habits are often enough. They leave empty-handed. You keep using the internet for work, shopping, and everyday life.
Allow us to introduce you to this cybercriminal who loves to go phishing.
Meet Giant Company
Something phishy is going on here.
Giant Company was one name for a massive scam operation based in Myanmar but targeting regular Americans like you and your grandma. Almost 300 people were arrested in connection with the Giant Company, and 9 scam centers were disrupted as part of the crackdown. But Giant Company is a drop in an ocean of scams. Scammers and phishing attackers impersonate your bank, your boss, a delivery company, customer support, or even a family member. They want you to click their links, take their phone calls, open their DMs, respond to their “accidental” texts, and, eventually, send them your hard-earned money.
And now with AI, scammers can do more crime every day! These big scamming syndicates love to make you feel something and act fast.
DON’T MAKE LIFE EASY FOR GIANT COMPANY
Be extremely suspicious of every unexpected inbound message, especially if it seems urgent
Take a few seconds (4-9 seconds) when reviewing all communication
Look out for urgency, like fear (“you just got hacked!”) and pressure (“you won an expensive grill!”)
You don’t need to click. You don’t need to respond. You don’t need to answer the phone. You aren’t being rude. Their biggest enemy isn’t technology. It’s your skepticism.
Make life difficult for Cybersecurity Criminals
You don’t need to know how all the scams work. You don’t need expensive tools. You don’t need to be an expert. Here’s what you should do to Stay Safe Online:
Every password should be at least 16 characters long, unique to the account, and a random mix of letters, numbers, and symbols
Use a password manager to create and store your passwords
Enable multifactor authentication for every account
Keep your software updated
Scrutinize every unexpected inbound message, especially if it seems urgent or requests payment
