How to prevent social engineering attacks
Internet users are exposed to multiple forms of attack. Phishing, scareware or baiting are some examples of what experts have called social engineering
Manipulation, through various methods, is the weapon used by cybercriminals to carry out their plans: theft of passwords, identity theft, obtaining personal data, stealing money, among others.
At the base of these processes is what digital security experts call social engineering. It is defined as a set of sophisticated and premeditated techniques that aim to deceive people so that they can easily hand over their data such as name and password in order to enter their bank accounts or social networks, infect their emails, and appropriate your money.
When the person clicks on a message that appears on the screen saying: “With these tips you will win the lottery”, “This diet will make you lose 10 kilos in a week”, “Try the new app to earn bitcoins now”, hackers make the Internet user fall into their networks, appropriate their credentials and commit their crimes.
The world of cryptocurrencies is a fertile field for this type of illegal act. The most common cybercrimes, such as phishing, scareware or baiting, are joined by data hijacking with a ransom request in bitcoin, which has occurred countless times in recent months, in addition to the theft of clients’ digital assets.
Prevention is the key
The cybersecurity team at Binance Academy makes some recommendations to prevent people from falling for the hoaxes of social engineering. One of the most important is not to open messages, banners, advertisements or emails that they consider strange, malicious or that are simply unknown.
Then there is mistrust. Indeed, any message that has spelling or syntax errors should attract attention not to click but to avoid it. Most likely it is an attempt by cyber criminals to access your data.
On the other hand, network security education is very important. It is necessary to inform and talk about this issue to all members of the family, so that even children understand the vital importance of not providing personal data or passwords to strangers. Ideally, they should always navigate under the supervision of an adult and if something strange appears on the screen, let them know.
Of course, the installation of a certified antivirus is essential to protect personal and work computers, including mobile phones through which users consult their accounts on social networks, install applications from their bank or favorite stores.
This measure can be accompanied, where possible, by multi-factor authentication (MFA) solutions. In today’s digital world, a single password is not enough. With MFA, the user is required up to three different identification factors, such as the two best known: username and password, as well as a fingerprint, retinal scan identification, or voice identification.
M.Pino
Source: BinanceAcademy