attacks - PSafe Blog

The Biggest Phishing Attacks of the Last Decade

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 16:00:07 +0000

According to analysts, around 85% of American companies have been targeted by phishing attempts. The popularity of phishing attacks among hackers is largely due to its simplicity. Much of the time, a hacker only needs one trusting employee to open a phishing email and its infected attachment — and they’ll have successfully breached the entire company’s data! It’s that easy. To keep yourself safe from phishing attempts at work and at home, you should use our Anti-Hacking feature. Click here to stay safe online:

The Anti-Hacking feature blocks any phishing attempts while you’re browsing the Internet. You’ll also be blocked from malicious websites and receive warnings about deceptive websites so that you never enter your personal information on an unsafe site. You will no longer be vulnerable to phishing as long as Anti-Hacking is activated.

With hackers’ methods growing in stealth, precision, and finesse, there have been many devastating security breaches throughout the last 10 years. Listed in chronological order, here are some of the decade’s worst phishing attacks.

Operation Phish Phry (2009)

Back in 2009, Operation Phish Phry was the biggest international phishing case that the FBI had ever witnessed. Nearly 100 people in the USA and Egypt were arrested for stealing $1.5 million through phishing scams. The hackers’ methods were rooted in bank fraud, and they successfully targeted hundreds of online users.

RSA (2011)

Irony took a cruel twist when hackers attacked RSA, a security firm, in March 2011. Turns out, the company’s Adobe Flash had been left unpatched and it fell victim to a spear phishing. Through this breach, the hackers were able to access the networks for U.S. defense suppliers.

Sony Pictures (2014)

2014’s notorious Sony Pictures breach was caused by a tirade of phishing emails. Through social engineering, the hackers convinced employees to open their infected attachments, since the recipients honestly believed a company colleague sent them. From this attack, over 100 terabytes of Sony’s data was stolen, which cost the company an estimated $100 million — and maybe even more!

Anthem (2015)

Back in February 2015, hackers invaded Anthem’s servers and took upwards of 80 million medical records, including files belonging to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Their attack was successful because five employees opened a phishing email and unknowingly downloaded a keystroke-logging malware. Reportedly, when sold on the Black Market, stolen health records are worth ten times more than a credit card theft.

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Ransomware Attacks Are Increasing on Android

PSafe Newsroom — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 20:00:23 +0000

It’s no secret that cyberattacks are increasing dramatically in scale and frequency, which is why we need to practice safer online habits such as being aware of the latest scams, creating strong and complex passwords, and avoiding suspicious or odd links or apps. Still, even the safest online practices can’t always protect you from malware or security breaches. To be safer online, you should run regular virus scans on your device to check for the latest malware and security threats. Perform a quick Security Scan on your device whenever you don’t have the time to run a Full Virus Scan:

Ransomware Expected to Further Increase

In 2016, ransomware attacks increased on both a small and large scale, targeting individuals and corporations alike. Some of the largest ransomware attacks in 2016 included attacks on many news outlets like the BBC and The New York Times, various major hospitals and universities, and the San Francisco subway system, among numerous others. Other major cyberattacks — that aren’t ransomware-specific — included the Dyn DDoS attack, reports of various major Yahoo data breaches, and the attacks on AdultFriendFinder.com.

Cybercriminals executed many effective ransomware attacks in 2016, which means they’re not likely to stop in 2017. These types of cyberattacks are expected to increase further this year, especially for businesses. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you backup all important data, and make sure that you and your business employees are aware of various online scams and malware, so that you can avoid becoming a victim of a ransomware attack. One person who’s poorly informed on cybersecurity could be the back door that the criminal needs to access a particular business.

Develop a Cybersecurity Plan

Criminals seek businesses that have poor cybersecurity, so you should make sure to regularly evaluate the security of your business and your cybersecurity plan, in order to update it to current trends. You should have a plan in place for responding to a ransomware attack, too. You should always strive to gain access to your data or compromised system — don’t simply pay the ransom. Further, make sure to report any ransomware attacks to the authorities. Depending on the nature of your business, you may also want to consider cybersecurity insurance.

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How to Protect Yourself from Social Engineering Attacks

PSafe Newsroom — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 18:00:11 +0000

Social engineering is a type of scam — typically conducted online or via telephone — where the criminal uses psychological manipulation. These attacks are often more sophisticated than other forms of scams, because the criminal already has personal information about the victim. Essentially, the goal of a social engineering attack is to take advantage of a victim when he or she is most vulnerable and more likely to fall for the attack. Some examples of social engineering attacks include vishing (via telephone), phishing (via the Internet), and smishing (via SMS messaging). What are the various steps you can take to protect yourself from social engineering attacks?

Activate Anti-Hacking

Use DFNDR’s Anti-Hacking feature to protect yourself from malicious websites that may seek to steal your personal information or money. This will block phishing-attempts and send you notifications of dangerous websites so that you never enter your personal information on an unsafe site. Click above to activate Anti-Hacking.

Check for Malware on Your Device

To further ensure the security of your Android, you should regularly run virus scans on your device. If you’re short on time — and don’t want to run a Full Virus Scan — then you can run a Security Scan. This will quickly check for any viruses or security breaches on your device, and make sure that all of your files and apps are in order. Any viruses or issues will be fixed instantly. That way, you never have to sacrifice the safety of your device, even if you’re short on time. Click here to run a quick scan for malware on your device:

How to be Safer Online and Beyond

There are various ways that you can be safer online and beyond, but the main thing to remember is to always be skeptical. Be skeptical of unknown and seemingly known email addresses, telephone calls, online links, text messages, etc. Always check the URL to make sure you are on the correct website before entering any account or payment information.

Don’t click on any unknown links or telephone numbers sent via email or social networking sites, and be cautious of any phone calls or emails that claim to be your bank. If a phone call or email seems suspicious or odd, don’t respond. Instead, contact your bank by using a different phone number (if you were contacted by telephone), and by calling the phone number provided on your account statement. Or, log into your bank account and check for any notifications.

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