On the internet, we use our data everywhere: when buying a new product, when signing up for a course and even to create an email account. But what few know is how valuable the data is to cybercriminals, who take advantage of inexperienced users to steal personal information and scam. See, below, what was the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the increase of internet crime cases and find out which were the most popular scams last year, to be aware in 2021:

INCREASE PHISHING CASES

According to the Annual Report of Online Criminal in Brazil, last year cyber attacks through phishing increased almost 100% compared to the previous year. In 2019, 24,161 cases were reported in Brazil, while in 2020 the number of cases increased to 48,000, representing a growth of 99.23%.The e-commerce industry leads the number of targeted phishing attacks.

One of the factors that has influenced the increase in attacks, according to the company responsible for the survey, was the Covid-19 pandemic. With many people working from home, users became more vulnerable to malicious virtual actions. In order not to become a victim, read more about phishing attacks and how to protect your data on the internet:

WHAT ARE THE PHISHING ATTACKS? 

Phishing is a term derived from the English word 'fishing', which means to fish. The name says a lot: through the scam, cybercriminals try to “hook” users to steal personal data such as their full name, identity number, social security number, bank accounts, passwords, among others.

Unlike the classic scam, through phishing, criminals mislead the user to voluntarily provide personal information or perform a specific action. After passing on one’s data, the victim may have his money stolen or his accounts hacked, as well as becoming an easy target for other scammers.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON SCAMS? 

Cybercriminals use e-mails, applications and websites designed to steal personal data. In general, they pose as trusted people and companies to draw the victim. Existem diversos tipos de golpes de phishing, conheça os mais comuns: 

Blind Phishing

Most popular among criminals, Blind Phishing happens through the firing of mass emails. This type of scam does not require much strategy besides sending malicious links or files that may contain viruses, for example.

Phishing Scam

It is a strategy to steal data through contaminated links or files. Most of the time, when a user clicks on a link that he believes to be reliable, he is induced to fill in his data. Contact can happen anywhere: e-mail, SMS, phone and even through social networks.

Smishing

Not even SMS can escape from crimes! Smishing happens through the sending of text messages. Usually the messages are alarming, encouraging the victim to make an immediate decision. Results of sweepstakes or debt notices are among the most used strategies.

Clone Phishing

In this type of scam, hackers develop fake websites in order to persuade the user to act as if they are browsing a trusted page. e-Commerce is the main target: consumers enter their data as if they are making a secure purchase, while criminals are already acting to redirect the victim to the store's original website, and not realize that he fell for a scam.

Vishing

Audios or voice calls can also be a trap! Using VoIP to not be identified, scammers send voice messages with an urgent tone to cause despair in the victim, who when trying to solve the problem quickly provides his personal information without thinking twice.

Pharming

That’s one of the most dangerous types of Phishing, Pharming jeopardizes the functioning of a trusted website in order to direct users to fake pages that install malware.

Phishing through Ransomware

In this type of attack the user receives a fake link and when clicking on it, it triggers an installation of a malware on the computer itself, often being ransomware. Criminals not only steal data, they also hijack victims' machines, with all the files, and demand ransom. 

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM VIRTUAL ATTACKS?

We have listed some simple precautions that can be taken to prevent you from becoming a victim of Phishing, check it out:

When in doubt, do not click

When the message is sent in text with very attractive or alarming phrases, be wary! “Unmissable”, “You won”, “Click here to receive”, “Confirm not to lose”, “Your name is negative”, “Your card will be canceled” are some of the examples that can deliver the criminal's malicious intent. When in doubt, don't click!

Don’t use obvious passwords

The Annual Report of Online Criminal in Brazil showed that the most obvious passwords are leaked more frequently, for that reason, create passwords that are difficult to guess. A strong password must contain numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as special characters.

Beware of external links

E-mails and messages accompanied by external links require extra attention, as they can open doors for an invasion. To verify the authenticity of a link is very easy, just hover your mouse over it to check the URL, but be aware, criminals are experts in creating fake domains similar to the original ones.

Suspect unknown senders

When you receive a message from a stranger, be suspicious! Only open the conversation by making sure it is a harmless sender.

Do not download any files

Automatic files or unnecessary download requests should be avoided. Only download or run files on your computer if you are sure of the source.

Keep your antivirus up to date

Set up your antivirus to update automatically to prevent it from becoming out of date. Antiviruses are great tools against Phishing and other criminal practices.

SSL Security Certificate

When accessing a website, make sure it has a seal that guarantees your security. If you don't have the certificate, think twice before filling in your personal details!

Now that you know what the most common types of Phishing scams are and how not to fall for them, learn how to protect your email account from cloning.

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