WebsiteGear Logo Log In
New User? Sign Up
About | Contact | FAQ
  Home News Web Hosting Domain Name Industry Thursday, March 28, 2024 
Add Press Release News | News Feeds Feeds | Email This News Email


OnPoint Community Credit Union releases updated eBook to help guard against evolving tactics in cybercrime
Tuesday, October 11, 2022

From ransomware-for-hire to smishing attacks, OnPoint provides guidance on protecting against the newest cybersecurity threats.

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OnPoint Community Credit Union today released its 2022 "The OnPoint Guide to Personal Cybersecurity" eBook to help consumers and businesses protect themselves amidst a fast-evolving cybercrime landscape. In 2021, ransomware attacks doubled, and in the first half of 2022, malware scams jumped 11%. OnPoint updates the free eBook every October to coincide with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and help keep the community informed of the latest online threats. From emerging cybercrime business models to a surge in smishing and attacks on small businesses, hackers are continually adapting their tactics to take advantage of vulnerabilities.

"Financial security and personal data security go hand in hand, and both require a commitment to ongoing learning and education," said Damian Laviolette, Chief Information Security Officer, OnPoint Community Credit Union. "With everything from phones, cars, drones and home systems connected on the web, cybercrime is only going to keep growing--it is not going away. As cybercriminals evolve their modes of attack, we'll continue to share best practices and resources so people can stay on top of trends and understand how to protect their identities and their bank accounts."

    --  Ransomware as a Service (RaaS): A play on the Subscription as a Service
        or SaaS business model, RaaS providers market themselves on the dark
        web, offering their ransomware services and technology to clients in
        exchange for cryptocurrency. The scale of services ranges from advice
        and assistance to round-the-clock support that includes negotiating with
        the victim. While RaaS makes it easier for more bad actors to enter the
        market, the methods of attack remain the same. Cybercriminals access
        systems via malware infection or exploitation of a vulnerability.


    --  Smishing surge: This summer, the FCC issued a warning about a rise in
        smishing, a type of social engineering attack that uses SMS texting.
        Designed to read like a formal notification from a business, smishing
        texts operate under the same premise as email phishing scams with a link
        pointing you to an attacker-controlled server. The smisher may even use
        your name and location to address you directly and strengthen the
        validity of the message.
    --  Small businesses beware: According to the FBI's Internet Crime report,
        the cost of cybercrimes against the small business community reached
        $2.4 billion last year. And a U.S. Small Business Administration survey
        found 88% of small business owners felt their businesses were vulnerable
        to online attacks. While large enterprises have built robust security
        teams and protocols, small businesses tend to lack the security
        infrastructure needed in the era of cybercrime, making them an
        attractive target for hackers.

    --  Forget the password. Remember the passphrase. A password typically
        contains about 10 characters, blending letters, numbers and symbols.
        However, passwords are relatively easy to crack by hackers. That's why
        passphrases are becoming the new industry standard. A passphrase is
        longer than a password, can contain spaces between words, and should be
        easy for you to remember but hard for a computer to crack. Consider song
        lyrics, a quotation or anything memorable to you like "My favorite food
        is Hawaiian p1zz@," mixing in symbols and numbers in place of some
        letters. Even the most proficient password cracking tools break down at
        about 10 characters, so remember the longer your passphrase is, the
        harder it will be for fraudsters to hack.
    --  Back up your data. Backing up data is an absolute must for small
        business owners. A ransomware attack will seize up your system and lock
        you out until you pay the hackers. The average length of business
        downtime due to ransomware attacks is 20 days. That's enough time to
        shut down a small business. In addition to security protocols and threat
        detection, make sure you have a consistent and reliable way to back up
        your files with encryption in a system separate from your day-to-day
        operations.
    --  Verify sender before clicking any link. Double check the sender's
        address and domain name, and don't simply rely on the display name. You
        can hover over a link to see if the URL looks legitimate or has common
        tricks like a zero in place of the letter "o" or an "s" added to the end
        of a word like Onpoints.com. Be extra wary of any offer or notification
        that has poor grammar or typos, comes out of the blue or sounds too good
        to be true.
    --  Stop and ask for help. So, you've clicked the link. What now? First,
        stop using the device and disconnect from the internet to stop the
        spread of malware. If your device is related to your job, reach out to
        your IT department by phone. If you've entered sensitive information,
        call your financial institution's hotline (on the back of your credit or
        debit card) to report the incident, consider putting a lock on your
        credit records and set up a fraud alert. For breaches on your personal
        device, back up your data using an external device like a USB and then
        scan your device for malware. Lastly, change your passwords across all
        your accounts. When in doubt, seek out a professional IT expert for
        help.
    --  Teach your kids. You might be aware of smishing, but are your kids?
        Laviolette says smishing attacks can be successful when you let a kid
        borrow your phone to play a game. When the text comes through, they may
        start tapping the screen to remove the distraction and unknowingly
        compromise the system. If your kids are using electronic devices of any
        kind, even for limited periods of time, make sure you've educated them
        about the risks.

Cybercrime comes in many forms and requires vigilance across all channels. To learn even more ways to protect yourself, your family or your business, download The OnPoint Guide to Cybersecurity eBook or talk with a representative at your nearest OnPoint branch.

OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving over 489,000 members and with assets of $9.3 billion. Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union's membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 28 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, and Yamhill) and two Washington counties (Skamania and Clark) and their immediate family members. More information is available at www.onpointcu.com or 503-228-7077 or 800-527-3932.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/onpoint-community-credit-union-releases-updated-ebook-to-help-guard-against-evolving-tactics-in-cybercrime-301639412.html

SOURCE OnPoint Community Credit Union



Email This News Email | Submit To Slashdot Slashdot | Submit To Digg.com Digg | Submit To del.icio.us Del.icio.us | News Feeds Feeds

RELATED NEWS ARTICLES
Nav .POST Domain Registry Announces Trademark Sunrise Period for Businesses Worldwide to Protect their Brand's Online Identity | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Asia-Pacific Industrial Computed Radiography Market Research 2023-2033: Rising Demand Due to the Evolution of Industry 4.0 Practices and Persisting Need for CR Capabilities in Oil and Gas Domain | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Antaris(TM) to Integrate its TrueTwin(TM) Simulation Environment with Aalyria's Spacetime for Testing and Operations of Satellite Mesh Networks | Mar 27, 2024
Nav VPN.com CEO Renews Commitment to Freedom, Digital Liberties, and Brand Protection into 2025 | Mar 27, 2024
Nav OneTrust Joins LOT Network in Major Step to Promote and Protect Open Innovation | Mar 27, 2024
Nav IBS Software Certified as a Great Place to Work in 7 Countries | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Golem Network and Gamerhash AI Join Forces to Provide GPU Resources to the AI Industry | Mar 27, 2024
Nav DNSFilter Earns Premier 5-Star Rating in 2024 CRN Partner Program Guide | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Sagility Acquires BirchAI, a GenAI Company in the Healthcare Space | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Gluware Empowers IT Leaders to Ensure Network Performance and Secure Networks Faster with Expanded Plug-and-Play Capabilities | Mar 27, 2024
NEWS SEARCH

FEATURED NEWS | POPULAR NEWS
Submit News | View More News View More News