If you're doing your best to keep your computer protected from cyber attacks - using a router firewall, running security software, keeping software current, etc. - please be aware, the main threat is closer at hand.
That threat is you. And by you, I mean all of us end users, sitting between the system and the keyboard. In most attacks, we are the primary means of exploit.
Social engineering
In many cases, cybercriminals prey upon our good nature to gain access to our computers and/or our private information. A term used to describe this is "social engineering."
Examples of social engineering include: phone calls to our homes or businesses offering bogus computer tech support; calls pretending to be an institution we belong to; or even calls supposedly from charities. These approaches are tried via email too, in which case they're called "phishing" attacks.
Don't be polite
Suspicion is the name of the defensive game here. Don't feel the need to be polite when you sense you're being probed in this manner. Disengage from the phone call. Delete the email. Close the webpage.
Take action
If you feel you may have been scammed, contact the actual institution or business immediately to notify them. If you feel an online account has been compromised, change your password at once. If your computer has been hacked turn it off, unplug from the Internet, and call trusted local tech support asap.
In sum, to quote that famous Pogo cartoon line: "We have met the enemy and he is us." We have to change our behavior to keep ourselves safer from cybercrooks. All the software and hardware filters we use are just aids and deterrents, not final solutions.
Thanks for reading.
Sam
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