With a lot of people in UK working from home at the moment cyber criminals are ore active than ever. The number of fake emails from management boards, banks, health insurers or agencies has grown considerably in recent months. One click on a link in an email, SMS or WhatsApp message and your personal login details or security codes could be compromised. How can phishing be recognised?
It seems so nice when you are working from home to receive a message from your boss sharing a link with you. As you are not in the office as an employee you need to stay up to date with the latest developments in the organisation. Internet criminals are cleverly playing into this. You click a link which has been sent to you and are led unnoticed to a fake website that is virtually indistinguishable from your employers intranet. This will give cyber criminals access to the organisation IT network with all possible consequences.
It has been in the news this week that Twitter has been hacked. Obviously we do not know exactly how the cyber criminals got access however it is very likely that someone with a high access level was tricked by a phishing email.
You should always check if you are really on a secure website before entering personal data. Does the full web address indeed contain https and is a padlock visible in the bar? Also check the spelling of the rest of the web address. Often the cyber criminals use a URL very similar to what you are used to.
Distractions and time pressure is to the cyber criminals advantage
Combining working from home with caring for the children increases the risk of fatigue, stress and distraction. This is an increasing factor that you are not sharp and alert and you might click faster on an included link or open an unknown attachment. Does the sender of the message stress that it is very important to respond quickly? Do they increase the pressure because otherwise your wages cannot be paid or a bank account is blocked? Don’t be tempted into quick actions. This is by no means a common course of action. Be alert and always report this to your employer or bank. If there is a problem always phone your supervisor or HR department to check.
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Be aware and question every email
The COVID-19 crisis brings out the good in most of us as we have seen in the media. Unfortunately cyber criminals take advantage advantage of the uncertain situation and our need for information. Everything stands or falls with awareness of information security both within and outside the organization. Be aware of what you receive and open and always ask yourself at the time of receipt if you expect that too. Never just click on links in email messages, do not open unknown attachments and do not enter information about email messages that you do not expect or that come from an unknown sender.
Tech-Wales Cyber Security
If you have any worries regarding cyber security Tech-Wales can help you make your organisation secure. We have experienced and customer friendly experts who can make your computer network secure and prevent attacks from cyber criminals. It is very important to have a good cyber security for your organisation. We also offer excellent Business IT Support for your organisation. We offer various pay-as-you go and monthly business IT support packages. Do not leave your cyber security to chance and contact us today.