As we enter the new decade, now is a good time to review the risks and recommit to measures that can help protect our digital lives. By understanding the motivation and tactics of cyber-criminals and then creating personal data protection habits you can make it harder for criminals to exploit your assets and identity.

According to a 2016 Pew Research survey, 64% of Americans have personally experienced a major data breach, 41% have encountered fraudulent charges on their credit cards, 14% report fraudulent loans or lines of credit in their name, and 6% say that someone has impersonated them in order to file fraudulent tax returns. *

Cyber-Crime Definitions

Hackers

While hacking originally started with a collection of enthusiasts tinkering and experimenting through technical knowhow of various systems, the modern-day term “hacking” almost exclusively refers to a nefarious attack on corporate and individual data systems.

• Their goal? Exploit computer coding to extract or corrupt the data of individuals and corporations.

Scammers

Scammers try to convince you to send them money or provide information under the belief that it is for a legitimate purpose. While scams sent via email are common, the recent and significant increase in robo-calls across the U.S. has been directly tied to scamming operations.

• Their method? A frequent approach is to impersonate a trusted entity or government agency (say the IRS) and demand immediate payment for fraudulent debts.

Phishing

DON’T TAKE THE BAIT! Phishing refers to tactics used by cybercriminals that lure unsuspecting individuals into sharing personal information electronically.

• Their Bait? Typically a button or link within an email combined with a clever request for confirmation of personal data. These emails and webpages attempt to spoof or mimic legitimate banks, credit cards, and other businesses like Amazon or eBay.

Proactively develop habits to reduce your risk of breach and exposure

• In combating hackers, it’s important to understand your financial institutions’ commitment to your data protection and to also explore their fraud protection policies.

• One steadfast rule; don’t share your personal information unless you are contacting the institution proactively and for your own reasons. Keep in mind, many scammers use urgency and fear of fines or imprisonment to accomplish their goals.

• When it comes to phishing, cautious skepticism of EVERY link that you receive via email should be a standard operating procedure. Hovering your mouse over a hyperlink or right-clicking (depending on your browser or email app) will generally display the link’s path and can be helpful in determining if it’s real or not.

• Avoid public Wi-Fi connections. Better to use personal Wi-Fi hotspot or your cell phone data plan than risk security breach with free Wi-Fi. Cybercriminals can create safe looking Wi-Fi networks that may appear to be associated with a reputable source.

• Don’t send attachments with personal information via email. Even password-protected attachments are at risk and may inadvertently alert cybercriminals that the attachment is of value. When possible, use a secure online document “vault” service to transfer documents securely.

• Create a unique password for each financial institution you do business with and change it every 6 months. Use a 2-step verification whenever possible. The best practice is to add password complexity. Eight character passwords can be hacked in minutes, 15 character passwords can take decades to hack. Additionally, using different user names where possible may make it harder for cyber-criminals to gain access to your accounts.

Learn more about protecting yourself against cyber-crime and what to do if you have been the victim of cyber-crime, fraud, identity theft or scam by visiting the Vector Cyber Security Resource Center.

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*Cyber Crime Statistics Source:
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/01/26/americans-and-cybersecurity/