Taming Technology: Don’t Be a Phish on a Hook

Don't Be a Phish on a Hook 2 If you're reading this article, then you've successfully connected to the internet!Congratulations!Everything and everyone are here!Work?Groceries?Shopping?Dating?Entertainment?Banking?Accessing your medical history?Updating your investment portfolio?Before going wild on your online adventure, it's important to recognize the internet is a double-edged sword.Data on anything imaginable is out there and available for the taking, and there's never been a better time to phish.You've probably heard of phishing with the "ph;" a form of social engineering, in which outsiders will use deceit to trick you into sending them sensitive information.Phishers cast a wide net and send messages out to all kinds of users from an automated system.These attacks are non-discriminatory and aren't meant to target a specific person, but the goal is to get your attention and make you want to open the message.The message may appear to originate from a big tech company, such as Google or Microsoft and contain a link to a spoofed site on which it asks you to enter sensitive information to "reset" your password or "validate" your account.Alternately, phishers may trick you into downloading a shady file that has been attached.Unfortunately, the attachment could contain a form of malware or a virus that could encrypt your files and block you from accessing them.If you're a professional, your organization has likely implemented some sort of cybersecurity training to spot these phishing attempts.Most of us have pre-installed spam filters that catch the more obvious scams sent our way, and we know not to click on the flashy messages with balloons and confetti announcing we're the winner of the latest gadget.We second guess emails with unfamiliar names, shoddy spelling or grammar, and bizarre formalities.It's better to be safe than sorry!But phishing emails adapt to current events.Be wary of messages that rip snippets from breaking headlines and exploit current events in their subject line.Today, there are likely phishing emails concerning Hamas, the election cycle, or celebrities like Taylor Swift.David Webster, an IT professional from Witting Associates Inc. notes, "Sports teams are fair game, and they'll take notice of their calendars and the latest news.During the Covid pandemic there were covid scams for masks and tests, or sensationalist claims of an 'alien virus' from the moon.Cybercriminals will try anything to get you to click on something."But what about the more sophisticated cybercriminals who invest time and resources to spearfish to target a specific individual?Spearfishers will try to learn all they can about their target.They'll research the target's work connections, friends and family, personal interests, and their work and vacation schedules to build a profile.Once they have enough information, they will try to impersonate someone else in that person's