As National Cybersecurity Awareness Month continues, officials recommend staying up to date with the latest online threats.
There are two types of threats, criminal actors and nation-state actors. Both try to establish trust, then exploit to gain personal information like passwords, social security numbers, and banking information.
Patrick Gonzalez is the director of information security and compliance at Morehead State University. He said the best way to tell if something is a scam is to use common sense.
“Unexpected emails, messages, phone calls with a sense of urgency, especially those requesting sensitive information or offering money, prizes, etc. Investment opportunities is another big one that we've seen recently. So, just being aware of those messages. If something seems off, then just trust your gut,” said Gonzalez.
Phishing happens when someone sends emails or other forms of messages with the intent of getting personal information out of the recipient. Common tactics include emails with false links, phone calls urging the need for someone’s bank information, and fake social media accounts.
Gonzalez said there are many common mistakes people make that lead to a breach of cybersecurity.
“Reusing passwords is probably a big thing. You know clicking on suspicious links, not being skeptical of emails, messages, phone calls that you weren't expecting. Running outdated software is another one, specifically browsers,” said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez added that people can protect themselves online by maintaining basic cyber hygiene. People should educate themselves on the latest threats, use strong and unique passwords across all accounts, enable multifactor authentication, and don’t be afraid to freeze credit when not in use.
Cybersecurity breach incidents can be reported online here.