The landscape of online users expanded significantly over a span of a decade. And then came the current pandemic. With people confined to their homes, businesses starting the remote working culture, and offline vendors inaugurating their first steps online to reach their target buyers, the landscape expanded farther and farther. Now the situation is such that many homes have more than 6-7 IoT devices using the same router. Another thing that raises more security concerns is that most web users – especially the ones like merchants and retail vendors that are new to the internet – do not know anything about the ways in which hackers steal information, let alone the ways in which they can protect their systems.
A staggering data by one of the biggest security magazines, Barracuda Networks highlights the fact that there has been about 600% increase in the number of phishing scams in a span of just a few weeks that spiked during the initial period of the worldwide lockdown that was imposed between February and March of 2020. The worst thing about all this is that many users do not even know what a phishing scam is. Thus, we have made this guide about the different ways in which hackers exploit the systems on the web and also the few basic ways in which users can increase the security of their devices.
How do Hackers Exploit User Data?
Phishing is, and has been, the biggest tool that hackers have been using for decades. They send out emails with attachments and links that either lead to a malicious website or release malware in the system. The ways in which they have expanded their targets include the following.
- Since more people have started taking online subscriptions to watch television, hackers have started targeting the payment details to commit money frauds.
- Retailers new to the web do not understand the need of using firewalls and fire breaks. These are the other areas that hackers are exploiting.
The basic ways that won’t even take much of your time and will, still, make your systems better prepared against online threats are listed below.
- Make sure you use strong passwords for every single IoT device you’re using.
- Every device/account should have a different password.
- Always use a firewall no matter the system.
- Password protect your Wi-Fi to secure the router.
- Never click on unidentified emails.
- Do not click on unreliable and unheard of online websites for shopping.
As long as you’re following the basic rules that we have mentioned, you’re putting up a good fight against hackers.