Aussies Asked to Remain Vigilant as Cyber Security Threats Rise
Research from Trend Micro has found that one in four Aussies have opened an email from an unknown sender. Although not all of these emails contain malware, opening emails from unknown senders is still very risky, as they could lead to scams and phishing attacks (ScamWatch has already recorded 2,610 reports of email fraud in 2019). These emails can potentially contain malicious links that can infect your devices, with two threats recently discovered to be active and pose a threat.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) stresses that everyone should have their guard up, especially with the discovery of two active security threats: malware known as Emotet and exploits that target the BlueKeep vulnerability. “There are two cybersecurity threats in the wild. While we have seen a drop in the number of Emotet infections in the last week, people and businesses should remain vigilant,” said Rachel Noble PSM, Head of ACSC. “We are also concerned about reports [that] cybercriminals are exploiting the BlueKeep vulnerability to access computers and control them without the users’ knowledge.”
One of the vulnerabilities affect older versions of the Windows OS, including Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP, Servers 2003 and 2008. Make sure to download free patches if you’re using Windows versions older than Windows 10. Aside from updating your software regularly, you should always remember to back-up files in case of a hacking incident, so your data will still be available for you to use.
Add a layer of protection to your devices and online accounts when they’re available. Enabling two-factor authentication is always a good practice to protect your banking and online accounts from hacking attempts. Keep your devices protected by purchasing an internet security solution like Trend Micro Maximum Security, which features Fraud Buster that protects your webmail from scams and phishing attacks, and Folder Shield which adds an extra layer of defence for your files against ransomware.
