What happens when a kid gets phished? It’s wise for parents to be prepared!
Check out Marc Vasquez’s story.
Marc works with CISA, the US government agency that helps organizations handle cyber risk.
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Cybersecurity News You Can Use
Example of crypto investment scam courtesy of Gizmodo.
No, Elon Musk is NOT Sponsoring Cryptocurrency Ads. — According to Gizmodo, hundreds of people have lost millions of dollars after falling for fake cryptocurrency ads on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. These ads appear authentic and sometimes use AI-generated audio to mimic Elon Musk’s voice, encouraging people to invest in cryptocurrency. Many victims, often near retirement age, have been persuaded to drain their retirement accounts, believing that Musk, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, is backing the investment.
You’re Not Actually in Trouble: Beware of Copyright Scam Emails. — If you get an email claiming you’ve posted copyrighted images on social media, don’t believe it. Dark Reading reports that cybercriminals are sending these emails, which appear to be from well-known entertainment or cybersecurity companies, to people in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The emails urge recipients to download an attachment to “see what they’ve done wrong.” However, this attachment—described as “one of the most sophisticated on the Dark Web”—actually installs ransomware on your computer. Avoid downloading or opening any suspicious attachments.
These organizations say they have been hacked recently. If you do business with any of these companies, change the password on your account and use two-factor authentication wherever possible.
One more thing...
Answers to Your
Cybersecurity Questions
Sometimes, I see an orange dot on the top of my iPhone screen. What does that mean? — Martin F.
It means an app is using the microphone. If you’re making a call or having a video chat, seeing an orange or green light on the phone is not a problem. But if the dot shows up when you’re surfing the web, it’s time to act. Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone to see which apps have access to your microphone. If you see an app you don’t recognize or don’t want to have microphone access, toggle it off.
Fidelity has an authentication process called “Your Voice is Your Password.” Is it safe to use that option? — David H.
Fidelity says it uses state-of-the-art technology to identify your voice, even if you have a cold. If you have a bad connection, the system will ask you to use another way to sign on. But as artificial intelligence improves, criminals can steal someone’s voice by lifting as little as :03 seconds of conversation off a video posted to social media. So, you might consider adding multi-factor authentication to your login, particularly for financial websites.
If my information is on the dark web, what can I do about it? — Elizabeth M.
Elizabeth, data breaches happen so often, chances are good your personal information does, indeed, live on the Dark Web. The most important steps you can take will sound familiar. Make sure you use long, passphrases (not passwords) that are unique to each online account — particularly your banking, government, and email accounts. Use multifactor authentication (where you’re sent a text with a password or number every time you log in) with every account that offers it and set up text alerts on your financial and credit accounts, so you receive a text message every time there’s activity.
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