In times of crisis we all pull together, we help others and we look forward to better times. However, there are some unscrupulous people out there that will see criminal opportunities to reach us online, whilst we are staying at home. We thought it would be good to pull together some of the best hints and tips for our lovely clients, colleagues and friends to stay safe online during the COVID-19 outbreak, especially as many of us are now working from home.
Statistics from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau estimated that in February 2020 over £800,000 was lost to online fraud in the UK alone, often people buying products online that never arrive – with one victim spending £15,000 on facemasks that they then never received. Online criminals understand our human emotions and concerns and are able to play on these with ‘phishing scams’.
Recent news reports have also revealed an increase in malware and ransomware, that had previously been in decline – with such scamware able to steal victim’s credentials by them just opening an email and clicking a link.
So, how do we make sure that these scoundrels have less opportunity to profit from others in these trying and worrying times.
Emails and Links
It is important to be very wary of what emails you are opening and the links that you are clicking on – as phishing schemes are rising during COVID-19. Cyber-criminals are very adept at knowing how to get a reaction from us, so always think about – why have I received this email; does it look right – for instance are there any spelling mistakes; does the senders email address look genuine; and can you find the information they are offering from a more reliable source?
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Having a VPN provides anonymity online, hiding your true IP address from those pesky cyber criminals. We are lucky that as an organisation we have this to help keep us safe at home. But you don’t have to be part of a large organisation – small businesses and individuals are able to subscribe to VPNs via online providers for a small fee.
Passwords
Who can relate to ‘I keep all my password the same, so I can remember them’? I know that was my chain of thought, however we are playing into cyber thieves’ hands by doing this. The better option is to have different passwords, especially for your email account. In fact, for your email account a further barrier is to activate ‘two-factor authentication’ where by you can be sent a text message with a code as an extra security method when logging in. If like me, you make a password that you know you will remember, until you go to log in and have completely forgotten it, you can access secure ‘Password Manager’ apps to help you remember. Always check on trusted websites first for the best ones to use.
Update your Devices
Keeping your devices and apps updated with the latest software can help increase the security barrier that is offered. Often updates are fixing any bugs in systems, or repairing security holes, which hackers love to exploit – so it is a good idea to make updates when your device suggests, instead of clicking ‘do it later’, which I can be guilty of! It is also recommended you have automatic screen locks set up on your smart phone and tablet – this makes it much harder for hackers to get into your device.
Back Up your Data
In case the worst happens and a virus infiltrates your device, make sure that you have backed all your cherished photographs and documents to either a cloud based system or an external hard drive. The last thing you want is for a cyber-criminal to wipe your device and you lose precious memories and work.
We know all this makes some scary reading, but it is much better to be prepared and some little extra security efforts can really scupper a cyber-thief from accessing your devices and causing untold hassles. The best way to think of it is that computer viruses can spread just as easily as human ones, so similar to just now we are all taking extra precautions with our health, by being more aware of computer viruses, we can hopefully limit these too.
You can also check out the National Cyber Security Centre for more information, and they publish a weekly ‘Threat Report’ that can be an eye opener on what cyber-crime is going on and how to prevent it.
We hope this helps a little!