Top 5 Online Threats to Look Out For In 2020

With how widespread the Internet has become, it’s no longer necessary for a criminal to physically be close to you in order to do you harm. Funds are kept in accounts that can be accessed online, and even more importantly, your personal and financial information is also often stored on the Cloud. This means that criminals can gain unauthorized access to this information if their tools and skills are good enough, and today we’re going to cover some of the ways this happens.

Top 5 Online Threats to Look Out For In 2020

1. Social Engineering

Social engineering is by far the most common method of compromising your online data. This is a type of attack where the hacker tries to obtain a person’s information through a fraudulent website, email or text, often impersonating an official body such as the victim’s bank or account holder. The upside of this is that if you’re careful enough, social engineering is easy to spot. The emails often contain spelling and grammar errors, are weirdly formatted and are generally a poor impersonation of what is supposed to be a professional, serious message from the aforementioned official body.

2. Internet of Things Attacks

The Internet of Things is an amazing concept; anything can be connected to the Internet and manipulated remotely. A few years ago it was just your computer, but now you can use your smartphone to turn your power on and off, activate your A/C before you come home so you return to a cool room on a hot day, and much more. This also means that cybercriminals can exploit this technology to cause harm. IoT devices are typically less secure because they haven’t been around too long, meaning hackers can compromise them more easily. These days this is mainly used for large-scale DDoS attacks, but in the future, we might even see criminals getting direct control of these devices, which can be very dangerous.

3. AI-Driven Attacks

The evolution of artificial intelligence has made online attacks much more powerful. AI and machine learning are readily accessible to hackers these days, who use them to augment their attempts to compromise their victims’ online accounts and acquire their information. Fortunately, AI and machine learning can also be used to bolster security, and many anti-malware services are doing just that. Finding the best VPN service to protect yourself from threats has never been easier thanks to this technology.

4. Supply Chain Attacks

The definition of a supply chain attack is an attack that occurs when your system gets breached through a provider that has access to your system or data. These types of attacks are very tricky because you can’t really control what type of security your provider uses. This is why it’s very important to be wary of who has access to your data and whether that presents any sort of security risk for you. For example, if you use a Cloud sync service for storing your photos that is not really known for good security and privacy, it might be a good idea to switch to a different provider or look into alternative solutions.

5. Ransomware

While not as prominent as before, ransomware attacks are still present and they still represent a very real threat, especially for private citizens. Ransomware works by infecting a user’s computer in order to gain control of their files and hold them for ransom. Then, the owner of the data is presented with a choice: either have their data deleted or pay a certain ransom to the cybercriminal responsible for the attack. No one wants to lose their data in this manner and many people, for fear of having their files deleted will choose to pay ransom.

Conclusion

As information technology evolves, cyber-attacks become more and more sophisticated and we must remain ever vigilant if we are to keep up with them and keep our data safe. Always be on the lookout for the newest cyber threat to make sure that your flies are safe since it can be incredibly stressful when you’re the victim of a compromise. Hopefully, this post shines some light on the whole thing for you, so you know what steps you need to take to improve your own security and keep the chances of a cyber breach to an absolute minimum.

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Top 5 Online Threats to Look Out For In 2020
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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

Top 5 Online Threats to Look Out For In 2020