Cyber risks are on the rise
Cyber risks are on the rise
Reports of scams to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) rose by 47% from 2015 to 2016 (ACCC ScamWatch statistics, 2015 to 2016). The reported scams suggest hoaxers are using a variety of communication tools, but mostly use the phone, internet and email. It’s more important than ever before to protect yourself against this type of targeting.
How you can protect yourself?
The most common cyberattacks on the general public and businesses are through malware and phishing.
Malware
Short for 'malicious software', and refers to software specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or perform other unwanted actions on a computer system. The most frequent channels used for malware to affect your computer are through infected email or instant messaging attachments and by being lured by a scammer into clicking on links to download infected files from websites.
Phishing
These scams are usually performed in a way to get personal details from you. The scammer will pretend to be from a legitimate company saying they need to verify your record due to a technical error or alerting you to suspicious activity on your account. They usually take you to a fake website that looks genuine.
To protect yourself from these types of scams, it’s best to question what the communication is telling you. If you have any doubts, do not open the email or click on any links. You can do a separate internet search on the company that is claiming to be sending the message to verify its legitimacy. Searches like this often show up existing scams. You could also go to the Scamwatch website to see if anyone else has reported the scam.
Reports of scams to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) rose by 47% from 2015 to 2016 (ACCC ScamWatch statistics, 2015 to 2016). The reported scams suggest hoaxers are using a variety of communication tools, but mostly use the phone, internet and email. It’s more important than ever before to protect yourself against this type of targeting.
How you can protect yourself?
The most common cyberattacks on the general public and businesses are through malware and phishing.
Malware
Short for 'malicious software', and refers to software specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or perform other unwanted actions on a computer system. The most frequent channels used for malware to affect your computer are through infected email or instant messaging attachments and by being lured by a scammer into clicking on links to download infected files from websites.
Phishing
These scams are usually performed in a way to get personal details from you. The scammer will pretend to be from a legitimate company saying they need to verify your record due to a technical error or alerting you to suspicious activity on your account. They usually take you to a fake website that looks genuine.
To protect yourself from these types of scams, it’s best to question what the communication is telling you. If you have any doubts, do not open the email or click on any links. You can do a separate internet search on the company that is claiming to be sending the message to verify its legitimacy. Searches like this often show up existing scams. You could also go to the Scamwatch website to see if anyone else has reported the scam.