If you read the news, you may have already known about the plague of ransomware attacks and data breaches. It is scary to see that hackers have no bounds and fear nobody: individuals, large corporations or government agencies. Hackers hijack your data and ask for a ransom.  They threaten to lock up all the files on your computer or expose your data on online forums if you deny their request. We as a community have to put a stop to this.

Now you might think hackers will only target large corporations, high profile businesses or government agencies which have data that worth millions of dollars. Well let me correct you.  Hackers do not discriminate therefore all data is “money-making” to them. They are hungry for your personal data so they can gain access to your bank accounts, credit cards, logins and social platforms. In fact it is easier for them to penetrate your weak personal security measures versus advanced, stringent securities at large corporations.

There was an incident recently reported where hackers attacked an individual’s Facebook account to run ads. Chris Hodson, who was the victim, told KrebsonSecurity that a review of his account showed the unauthorized campaign had reached approximately 7,150 Facebook users, and had generated 770 clicks, with a cost-per-result of 21 cents. Of course, it didn’t cost the ransomware group anything but the owner of the stolen Facebook account was obliged to pay.

Most people don’t understand that a lot of hackers can penetrate their accounts through phishing emails.  Phishing is simple but still the most effective and used hacking tool. Hackers make phishing emails appear “authentic” when in fact it is a malicious actor behind the screen. So while we think we have strong passwords and extra layers of security, it may not be enough in today’s highly digitized world. We must upgrade our security TODAY!

Here is a FREE software to give you some peace of mind.  IronCAP X  is a proven secure, quantum-safe email encryption software that will let you authenticate and digitally sign your email.  Recipients will know it’s a legitimate email if it’s coming from an IronCAP X user in their contacts.  For added security, the email is encrypted and can only be decrypted by the designated recipient. We can cut off hackers from accessing our data.  It is time we educate ourselves on email security and take measures to prevent data loss.

It is 2021 and we’ve got to be cyber smart to beat hackers.  Want to know more and get cyber safe? Visit: https://www.ironcap.ca/ironcap-x/

Reference:
KrebsonSecurity article