Types of Cyber Attacks

Poor cyber security puts your devices at risk for attacks that can look different. Therefore, it may affect your devices and information security in different ways. Below are a few cyber attacks that your family may be vulnerable to:

Crypto jacking

This is closely related to crypto currencies and occurs as a result of clicking on suspicious links or online advertisements. When this happens, malware gains unauthorized access to your device and uses it to mine crypto currency. Crypto currency mining requires a lot of energy and power, so you will notice a slowdown in your device. However, otherwise it is not found.

How to stay safe

Make sure all software your family uses is up to date and do Vulnerability assessment, install ad blockers if possible, and talk to your child about the dangers of clicking on mysterious links or ads.

Man in the Middle (MITM)

During the Covid-19 pandemic, MITM attacks have increased due to the use of virtual meeting software. When two parties (i.e. client and host) communicate, an attacker can hijack the session to steal information.

While many virtual meeting platforms have increased security to stop these cyber attacks, using vulnerable Wi-Fi connections leaves users vulnerable to harm.

How to stay safe

Avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi whenever possible, or make sure it is reliable and secure.

Malware

You may have heard of malware, but do you know what it is? In short, malware (or ice software ) is software designed to gain access to a computer system without permission. Once on a computer, malware can corrupt files or compromise personal cyber security.

Someone could use malware to steal personal information, financial information, or anything else that might benefit them but harm your family.

How to stay safe

Install anti-malware software on your computer. In addition to this, make sure your children understand how intruders can target them. You should do timely Penetration testing.

Phishing

Phishing can lead to malware being installed on your device or confidential information being stolen. This is often associated with emails from unknown senders, but can also use established contacts. For example, they might use the contact's first and last name, but a different email address. In addition, your contact's email can be hacked and used for phishing.

How to stay safe

When you or your child receives an email, it is important to think carefully about its content:

·        Is the sender's email unfamiliar?

·        Or, if familiar, is the letter oddly written?

·        Is the email unexpected (for example, from a government agency that doesn't normally send out emails)?

·        Is the sender asking you to follow random links?

Teach your child to delete such emails or ask you if they are not sure. They should never click on links unless they know where they lead. This is true on social media, different websites, and online video game chat rooms.