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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.
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SOURCE OnPoint Community Credit Union
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