If You Have to Think "Should I Click that Link?".... DON'T.

#cybersecurity #drcybereye #scam #spam #phishing

Hello. My name is Dr. CyberEye. I break down complicated cybersecurity stuff and explain it in a simple way to the average user.

Baddies are out there. Learn how to protect yourself.

There's no way around it. Phishing scams are getting more and more sophisticated as time goes by. To those of you not familiar with the term, phishing is basically an email sent by an attacker encouraging you to take some action, such as clicking on a link and providing sensitive information. Often the links are nefarious in nature and lead you to rogue web portals that prompt you to enter your login credentials. Once you've done that, you're fair game. If you're like most individuals, chances are high that you use the same email address and password for a number of different things (logins to your social media, email, bank, credit cards, etc). Once an attacker has that information, they can then go to all of these different places and try to log on using your email and password. This is why it's ALWAYS so important, as frustratingly manual as it may be, to use a different password for every single thing. One good way to make your life a little bit easier is to use a password manager. I use a free one (because... FREE!) called Bitwarden. You can download the application to your phone (either via the AppStore on your iPhone or Google Store for your Android phone). There is also an internet browser extension that you can add to make logging into things much easier. It takes some time to create complex passwords for each and every thing that you often log into, but it is so worth it in the long run.

As the title to this blog suggests, if you have to think whether you should click on the link, the answer is 99.9999% emphatically NO. A lot of times scammers will try to appeal to you in an urgent way. Take the example below:

There is a lot to unpack here. First of all, that urgency that I mentioned above is relevant in the email. It's stating that, unless I click on this link called "Keep Same Password," my account will be suspended. There are a few things I want to point out in this email that should throw up a red flag to you:

• The generic "Mail protection" alias. It doesn't specify a legitimate email provider. But even if it does, still be wary. I have seen some sophisticated phishing scam emails that look like they're really coming from Microsoft, LinkedIn or Facebook. Be cautious.

• The rampant spelling/grammatical errors is another huge red flag. "24 Hours Account will be suspend." A reputable business will use correct grammar and spelling.

• The copyright at the bottom of the page to a PT Pakar Digital Global. A quick Google search shows that this is a company based out of Indonesia. Again, suspicious.

• The Unsubscribe link. Whatever this email is actually coming from, I'm pretty certain that I didn't subscribe to it. You may feel compelled to click on the Unsubscribe link, but don't. Again, this is likely another link that will lead you to do exactly what the baddie wants.

One of the best things you can do if you are ever in doubt, DO NOT click on any links. I repeat, DO NOT CLICK ANY LINKS. Again, I will reiterate in the title to this blog, if you find yourself questioning, "Should I click this link?".... the answer is always no.

I would also recommend refraining from even replying to these random emails or text messages. A lot of times, scammers like to throw emails or text messages out into the ether to see what's still live and active. If you reply to these, then they know that it's a real email/phone number.

Instead of clicking on any links, instead go directly to the website of that service. For example, if you get a weird email like this from someone purporting to be Facebook, instead of clicking on anything, go directly to Facebook. Always go straight to the source. Or if you get a text message from your bank asking you to provide some information, ALWAYS call your bank directly. A lot of times they get caught up in similar scams as well. As always..... stay vigilant.

~ Dr. C

Do you have something you would like Dr. CyberEye to check out and report on in a future blog post?

Feel free to email: angela@cybereye-consulting.com