Lately I have received a couple of suspicious emails that seem innocent and from people I know, mostly consisting of quick get rich schemes. Coming from a trusted friend it can seem genuine. But then the same type of message would come from different people on my contact list. So when I confront these people about the emails, fortunately without opening the links, they would say they didn't send such emails. So who did?
There are geniuses who have too much time on their hands, they have decided to hack into people's privacy using the World Wide Web and unfortunately some of those on my mailing list are victims.
Through this, the hackers have managed to do a lot of damage both on a small and big scale.
On one occasion, the world's largest credit card payments processor recently got hacked. Over 1.5 million cards from Visa and MasterCard were digitally stolen through a cyber attack. This is just the latest in a series of brazen attacks on some of America's largest and most secure companies.
Or on a smaller scale, private pictures or videos have been displayed publicly without the owner of these pictures or videos ever knowing how.
One is using Virus; this is the most popular one in the 21st century. This form of hacking works by injecting a few specialised lines of code into an otherwise harmless executable file.
Advancement has its disadvantages and one of them is swords and frontal attacks are not necessary anymore, this can be done easily through the tip of the fingers, literally!
So cyber-wise-up and beware!
HTTP is an acronym for hypertext transfer protocol
This is the method used to communicate between browsers and servers on the internet. Every now and again you will notice an S on the end of HTTP. If you haven't seen it before you should look out for it next time you are on a website. This means there is a need for you to enter personal information. The extra S stands for "Secure Sockets Layer" and is a form of encryption that protects personal information like your credit card numbers and passwords from online thieves.
I would suggest that whenever you are required to give sensitive information you check the browser to make sure you see HTTPS!
Install and Update
Whether it is top of the line antivirus software or the free version available online, ensure you have some form of protection. Install antivirus software as soon as you use your computer for the first time. Just as important is installing the necessary and regular updates each antivirus provider will supply. Because this process is so important to computer users, it can also be used as a cover for hackers. Rather than click on pop-ups to install or update your antivirus software, visit the official website or purchase it from a reputable retailer.
Email Attachments and Downloads
Avoid downloads from sites you don't know and trust. As harmless and innocent as some audio or video downloads may seem, if you don't trust the source, leave it alone.
If you are not 100 per cent certain of the authenticity of the source, leave it alone. For the sake of one downloaded file you could end up spending a lot of money figuring out that you have lost all the information, photos, music and documents on your computer. Never open or download an attachment on an email that is sent from someone you don't know. Also be very careful about opening attachments of forwarded emails. Friends and family could have unwittingly forwarded a threat-containing email.
Switch It Off
An excellent way to protect your computer from hackers is to switch it off. This means whenever your computer is not in use do not leave it on.
Even with advanced firewalls and antivirus software, there is still some degree of risk. When your computer is off no hacker can access it or use it for hacking another computer. It might be convenient to always have your computer on stand-by and ready to go, but by switching it off when not in use you are protecting your computer, and probably saving money on your power bill too.
Pay Attention
Pay close attention to the URLs of websites you visit frequently. Access such websites by typing in their URL addresses rather than going through your favourites list.
If your favourites list has been hacked and altered, you could end up visiting a site designed to appear like the one you intend to visit and providing your log-in information. Small variations such as different fonts, a slight difference in the URL address, different logos, etc should raise red flags.
Basic precaution:
Frequently change your passwords, include numbers, symbols and letters in your passwords. Also do not be generous