We all like to think we have some internet savvy going for us. We hang around the coffee at work chucking about some poor fool we saw on Facebook who fell for that grammar error riddled email from his alleged long last aunt from some obscure European country.
But are you 100% confident you haven’t been caught?
As fast as security technology develops cyber criminals find a way to get around it. The misconception is that hackers are socially awkward human beings tapping out code in a dark room with their hoodie up. Not true, anyone who has watched an episode of Mr Robot knows that hackers have realised that the best way to get access to private information is to use something called spear phishing. The problem with spear phishing is that an email is sent and it seems to appear from someone you know (or a business you deal with).
These guys are pretty smart:
So how do you protect yourself?
- The first thing you need to do is ensure you have adequate security software in place.
- The next thing you need to do is employ a human firewall – which is really just a clever way of saying BE SMART. You need to know when to click a link and when to delete it. You need to browse your emails will a smart eye.
Tech Girl can help
I’ve found a way to help you on both accounts. The first is new software from Mimecast called Targeted Threat Protection. The software scans and rewrites hyperlinks in emails to check if they are malicious or not. The software also alerts you to strange links (think sar as opposed to sars).
Mimecast is also hosting a Human Firewall Event on 10 September in Johannesburg. It’s one of those talks that I think everyone you work with could benefit from and you’ll leave with a better understanding of how to protect yourself against nasty hackers!
I’m crossing my fingers that an Elliot type ala Mr Robot pops up to give some advice, I may have a little TV crush.
