It’s a sunny Thursday morning. You’re drinking your coffee from your favorite mug and viewing a couple of emails before you start work.
Suddenly, there’s an alert from your banking app. A recent purchase you’ve made has caused a negative balance on your account. However, you haven’t made any recent purchases.
In 2024, 48% of Americans – just under half of the population – stated they had been the victim of a fraudulent charge. Globally, an estimated 608 million people fall victim to some sort of scam every year.
Some of these charges occur due to company data breaches, which can expose the personal records of millions of people, including bank account information, usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, and even social security numbers.
As our use of digital mediums and technology continues to grow, so does the efforts of hackers and other malicious actors to get our information. October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and in this article, you’ll learn what threats are out there and, more importantly, how to protect yourself.
What is Cybersecurity?
According to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, cybersecurity is the art of protecting networks, devices and data from unauthorized access or criminal use. Essentially, cybersecurity means protecting your computers, smartphones, personal information, and even your identity from falling into the hands of bad actors, who would then use that information for illegal purposes, such as:
- Identity theft, where someone pretends to be you in order to obtain access to information or accounts.
- Credit fraud, in which someone uses your personal information – like your social security number – to open a credit card or loan.
- Financial theft, where someone uses your banking information or credit card for purchases, like a car, a home, a vacation, or even illegal items (drugs, weapons, etc)
You might think cybersecurity is something only IT professionals worry about, but consumers are the first and most critical line of defense against digital threats.
What are some common cyber attacks people face?
A cyber attack is when someone tries to gain authorized access, damage, or disrupt computer systems, networks, or devices.
You might think these types of attacks only happen to businesses, however the rise of cyber attacks affects everyone. The top 3 most common attacks are:
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Ransomware: consider this attack like a hostage situation, but with the files on your computer. The attacker will only release your files if you pay them a significant amount of money, usually in the form of bitcoin. Between 2019 and 2020, there was a 150% surge in these types of attacks alone.
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Phishing/social engineering: Ever receive an email or notification that your favorite social media account would be deleted unless you clicked this specific link? That’s a phishing email, using what’s known as social engineering. The goal is to get you to click on that link, which leads to a fake login page and asks you to sign in. Now an attacker has your login info. In 2024, phishing attacks accounted for 30% of data breaches globally.
- Malware: malicious software, aka malware, is any software that’s designed to intentionally gain access or disrupt a system, network, or device. Ransomware, for example, is a type of malware. Other types of malware include viruses, worms, adware, spyware and Trojan horses.
How can you protect yourself?
As you can see, cyber attacks have drastically increased, not only in the last decade but the last few years. Now more than ever, it’s important to ensure you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself online. Some of the quickest and easiest ways to protect yourself online include:
- Use strong passwords for all accounts and when possible, use two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect your account.
- Be wary of suspicious links, especially those coming from your bank, government entity, or social media platform. Instead of clicking the link, open a separate browser tab or use another browser and go to the actual website. You can also call or physically visit your bank’s nearest location.
- Verify information from senders. For example, if you receive a text message from your boss, requesting you buy 100 gift cards, send an email or speak to them directly – if you’re in the same office – and verify if they sent the message.
These are just some of the different attacks that make up the cybersecurity landscape.
Cybersecurity incidents, especially if you encounter one, can be very stressful. Luckily, ADP TotalSource offers a variety of options that help protect your health and gives you some peace of mind. One option you can consider is our Employee Assistance Program, which offers counseling sessions, childcare services, legal help and more. You can learn more about our EAP at this link.
