News broke on Friday morning that yet another multinational, HSBC, had been hit by a mass cyber attack locking users out of their online banking accounts for the second time this month. While for some this is simply a minor inconvenience, hacks by cyber criminals like this are a constant worry for businesses large and small as well as ordinary people using the internet in their day to day life – if big brands like HSBC, TalkTalk and Sony are susceptible to these security hacks, what chance do we have?
Luckily the folks at Data Label have pulled together a bit of info in response to the online scams and hacks we fear so much, explaining how many of these scams happen behind the scenes (malicious servers pulling your personal data from emails and exploiting the weaknesses) and how you can best avoid being caught out by one of these attacks:
- ALWAYS be wary of links and attachments in emails, even if the email itself looks legitimate.
- Never give your PIN number or password over email. Your bank will NEVER ask for this. If it seems that they do, give them a call to verify it’s really them.
- Poor spelling and grammar can be a signal that the email you’ve received is fraudulent, although this may not always be the case.
- Keep antivirus software on your computer up to date, and use a spam filter on your emails to protect you from anything malicious.
- Emails that offer “too good to be true” offers are usually exactly that, so don’t respond to them.
- If you realise too late that you’ve been a victim of a scam or hack, contact the relevant bank or company immediately and report the scam to the relevant official body – you can help to protect others this way.
For more information, take a look at the Infographic below:
