More and more Americans are using cyber technologies and spending more time online during COVID-19 than ever before. Our growing dependence on technology, coupled with the increasing threat of cyber attacks, demands greater security in our online world.

Consequently, the FBI has seen a significant spike in cyber crimes reported to its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as hackers take advantage of Americans’ daily activities moving increasingly online. IC3 has been receiving between 3,000 and 4,000 cybersecurity complaints each day, a major jump from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic when about 1,000 complaints were received daily.

Additionally, Microsoft reports that COVID-19 themed attacks, where cybercriminals get access to a system through the use of phishing or social engineering attacks, have jumped to 20,000 to 30,00 a day in the U.S. alone. And, researchers for the cyber group Barracuda Networks found a 667 percent increase in phishing emails using the coronavirus to trick individuals into clicking links or downloading attachments that included computer viruses, such as ransomware that lock up computers and demands a ransom to unencrypt them, according to The Hill.

Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have put out alerts warning Americans to watch out for these phishing emails while working from home.

To protect yourself and your money from cyber threats, it is important to understand how hackers think and act. Today’s hackers are using “social engineering” to take information they glean from social media and publicly available information, such as speaking engagements and media profiles. Armed with that data, they target people using personal details that make them feel comfortable sharing pertinent information.

Hackers can spoof phone numbers or email addresses to look like they’re coming from a legitimate financial or mobile service provider. They ask questions or send links that mine for personal data, such as credit card numbers and identifying information.

“Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow”—Protect Yourself from Cyberattacks

It’s imperative to understand the nature of cybercrime and to get educated about avoiding it. While nothing is foolproof, there are tangible steps you can take to ensure you are not an easy target for hackers.

Five Ways to Keep Your Information and Systems Secure:

1. Use two-factor authentication everywhere you can. Yes, it can make logging in more time-consuming, but it’s much more difficult for a hacker to breach your password and access your PC or phone.
2. Make your passwords more complicated and use different ones for different sites or a password vault. Use phrases that are longer, rather than generic word and number combinations that fall into a pattern (e.g., Fall2019, Winter2019). A phrase such as ILoveBuckeyes! is more difficult to hack. If remembering multiple passwords is an issue, try a recommended password vault provider, an online service designed to help keep your password information secure and consolidated into one location, such as 1Password, KeePass, LastPass, or Dashlane.
3. Make sure you keep your computer software up to date. Security updates are designed to fix known attacks or vulnerabilities that software developers are monitoring and addressing.
4. Be careful of how much information you share on social media. Social engineers can track your spending habits, location, busy times on your schedule, travel plans, and more and strike when you’re preoccupied, attending functions, at work, or traveling. That catchy Facebook quiz? Watch out if it asks for too much personal data like your birthdate or address.
5. Do not give out personal information without verification. Hackers can impersonate financial services providers. If you receive an email or phone call that looks official, do not respond directly. Use the phone number on your financial services provider’s statements to call and confirm whether the call/email was genuine. Never give out your Social Security number or credit card information to an unverified person on the phone, and avoid clicking on any links in emails you receive.

References:

1. https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/490232-cyber-threats-spike-during-coronavirus-pandemic
2. https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2020/06/16/exploiting-a-crisis-how-cybercrimincybersecurity-in-the-hacking-age.jspals-behaved-during-the-outbreak/
3. https://www.key.com/businesses-institutions/business-expertise/articles/
4. https://www.cisa.gov/cybersummit2020
5. https://www.stopthinkconnect.org