Brits are at an increased risk of falling victim to cybercrime as the speed of attacks continues to escalate, a new report claims.
Shockingly, in nearly 45% of cybersecurity incidents recorded this year by Palo Alto Networks, data was successfully stolen within a day of the breach, leaving only a few hours to thwart the attackers.
The methods of cybercrime are also evolving rapidly. Although phishing attacks have dropped to a mere 17% in 2023, numerous other avenues have emerged.
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Haider Pasha, Chief Security Officer at Palo Alto Networks, said: “While the number of attacks, level of sophistication and methods used are rapidly evolving, the good news from a consumer perspective is that you can drastically reduce your chances of falling victim to a hack by following a few general good practices.
“A great place to start is ensuring that you have two-factor authentication set up across all of your accounts and devices and also being really careful about which public networks you access.
“From there I think it’s about approaching any emails or text messages you receive with a level of suspicion as the number of phishing attacks that we’re seeing is still quite significant while being much more sophisticated.”
Evil Twin attacks
An evil twin attack is a method used by hackers to create a fake Wi-Fi network in public places like eateries, airports or shopping centres, which mirrors a legitimate one. This tricks users into connecting to it and allows the attackers to intercept sensitive data such as passwords, emails, and credit card details.
Research from Forbes Advisor reveals that four out of ten people using public Wi-Fi have had their information compromised. To stay safe, consumers should steer clear of unknown Wi-Fi networks, use a VPN for encrypted internet access, and ensure their device’s Wi-Fi settings ask them before connecting to new networks.
If they do connect to a public Wi-Fi network, they should avoid accessing sensitive information like online banking or personal accounts, or consider using mobile data instead.
Juice Jacking
This is another tactic where attackers take advantage of public charging stations, like those in airports or cafes, to install malware or steal data from devices. When users plug their devices into these charging stations, malicious software can be injected or personal data can be extracted.
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To avoid this, consumers should ideally carry their own portable power bank to charge devices in public places or bring their own charging cable to avoid connecting devices to unknown or untrusted charging ports.
Cryptojacking
Cybercriminals are hijacking the computing power of individuals and companies to mine cryptocurrency without their knowledge, a practice known as cryptojacking. SonicWall discovered that last year’s cryptojacking activity surpassed the combined totals of 2018 and 2019.
This unauthorised activity can result in higher electricity bills for consumers, decreased device performance, and potential hardware damage. To protect against cryptojacking, it is recommended that consumers use antivirus software, keep their systems and applications updated, and monitor their devices for any unusual performance issues or excessive resource usage.
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