Is Your Family Safe Online? | Branded Voices | #phishing | #scams | #hacking | #aihp

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Technological devices have become a staple in just about every home around the world. From smartphones to laptops and tablets, the majority of households will have some form of device amongst their family members.

These devices have transformed our lives and changed the way we work, communicate, and stay entertained. Devices have helped people to get connected, and it’s brought a new level of convenience and comfort to our homes.

However, many families are unaware of the dangers that they might face while they’re online. Cybercrime has been on the rise in recent years, and criminals are targeting anyone with a device. This means that no one is safe from cybercrime, and you must ensure that you keep your devices secure if you want to keep your family safe online. Read on to find out how you can educate your family about cybercrime and keep your devices secure.

Cybercriminals Will Target Anyone

Cybercrime has spiked massively in the past few years. There are two important reasons for this, but it’s important to remember that a cybercriminal will target anyone’s device in order to commit a crime.

The first reason why cybercrime has become more frequent in recent years is because of the fact that more people are buying their own devices. Many of these people are new to owning a device, and so they often aren’t aware of the dangers that they could face while they’re online. They’re also unaware of the important cybersecurity measures that need to be taken in order to keep their devices secure enough, which opens the door for more successful cyber attacks.

The second reason why cybercrime has seen a surge in frequency in the past few years is because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ever since the world went into lockdown many people started spending more time on their devices. Whether it was working from home, catching up with their friends and family or simply keeping themselves entertained, the amount of screen time jumped significantly. With more people spending time on their devices there is more opportunity for cybercriminals to target new potential victims.

How do Cybercriminals Launch Their Attacks?

Cybercriminals have several tactics that they can use to infiltrate your devices. However, the most common method is phishing scams. Phishing involves sending fraudulent emails to potential victims and urging them to interact with a link or attachment in the email. 

When the victim interacts with the link or the attachment in the email then the cybercriminal has the upper hand. A link in the email could take the victim to a website that has a keylogger installed which will copy everything that is typed in the website and give it straight to the cybercriminal.

Clicking on links and attachments in a phishing email could also prompt malicious software to be installed on your device. Malicious software, also known as malware, is extremely dangerous and it can range from viruses to spyware and even ransomware.

Phishing scams are nothing new and they have existed for many years now. However, in recent times cybercriminals have begun to create phishing scams that are more difficult to spot which increases their success rate.

Phishing scams have developed as cybercriminals will now use social engineering to make their scams more believable. Social engineering is when cybercriminals pose as a person or a company that the victim knows and trusts, which means that they are more likely to interact with the content of the email.

One example of a trending phishing scams is where victims receive an email from what seems to be Netflix. The cybercriminal will use the same logos and color schemes as Netflix, which can trick the victim into believing that it’s a real email from the popular streaming service. The email will urge the victim to follow a link to update their billing details or risk having their account suspended. The link will send the victim to a website that has a keylogger installed on it, and any information that the victim types into the webpage will be given straight to the hacker. 

How to Educate Your Family About Cybercrime

With the dangers of cybercrime on the rise it’s important to educate your family and friends on how to stay safe while they’re online. However, it can sometimes be a difficult task to teach other people about cybersecurity.

The key to getting your point across is stressing the importance of staying safe online and the potential consequences of taking risks with your devices. However, you must ensure that you do thorough research around the topic before you teach others. The more you understand cybercrime the better your teaching will go.

You must be able to fully explain the risks and consequences of cybercrime in a way that people will understand it, and this can sometimes mean explaining it in a specific way depending on who you are talking to. You also need to be able to answer any potential questions that your friends and family might have about cybercrime.

It’s not all about the negative side of the internet either. You should be providing your friends and family with solutions to these problems rather than simply scaring them with the threats of cyberattacks. Explain to them how they can keep their devices protected and ensure that they are staying safe online.

How to Keep Your Devices Secure

In order to keep your family safe online you have to take action in addition to educating them about cybercrime. It is always a good idea to install some basic cyberseucrity software on your devices to ensure that they are secure.

The most important tool that your household needs is premium antivirus software. Antivirus software will constantly scan your devices for viruses. If a virus has been found on one of your devices, the antivirus software can take the necessary steps to remove the virus from your device before it spreads to another one in your household.

You must ensure that your antivirus software is always up to date. Software updates are often sent out in order to fix any flaws that have been discovered in the software. Software updates can also add extra security features to your devices that will help to protect your devices against new tactics that have been developed by cybercriminals to infiltrate your device.