In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and with the predictions for Irma, we want to remind our readers to keep vigilant about protecting their data. Hackers use the confusion and swell of donation requests as a window of opportunity to send phishing emails. Want to learn how to protect yourself from these attacks? Read our blog post Malware Tip: Protecting Yourself from Phishing Hacks.
Read the official warning released by the Department of Homeland Security:
US-CERT warns users to remain vigilant for malicious cyber activity seeking to capitalize on interest in Hurricane Harvey. Users are advised to exercise caution in handling any email with subject line, attachments, or hyperlinks related to Hurricane Harvey, even if it appears to originate from a trusted source. Fraudulent emails will often contain links or attachments that direct users to phishing or malware-infected websites. Emails requesting donations from duplicitous charitable organizations commonly appear after major natural disasters.
US-CERT encourages users and administrators to use caution when encountering these types of email messages and take the following preventative measures to protect themselves from phishing scams and malware campaigns:
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- Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages.
- Use caution when opening email attachments. Refer to the US-CERT Tip Using Caution with Email Attachmentsfor more information on safely handling email attachments.
- Keep antivirus and other computer software up-to-date.
- Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks.
- Review the Federal Trade Commission information on Charity Scams.
- Verify the legitimacy of any email solicitation by contacting the organization directly through a trusted contact number. You can find trusted contact information for many charities on the BBB National Charity Report Index.
If you want to ensure you have the best data security protection for your business, contact Great Lakes Computer Corporation today.
