Security & Fraud Prevention

Be on Patrol for These Fake Calls

Another great article from our friends on KnowBe4's Security Team

In this week’s scam, cybercriminals are impersonating U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. The scammers call you and claim that CBP has intercepted drugs or money shipments that are addressed to you. They insist that you must confirm personal details to help them resolve the case. If you refuse to cooperate, the scammers threaten to send police to arrest you. 

• The CBP will not call you to request money or financial information.  If you receive a call asking you to share personal information, it's best to hang up and contact the government agency directly at a verified number. 
• This particular phone scam impersonates the CBP, but remember that scammers could call you and impersonate any government entity.
• Scammers rely on scaring you into making an impulsive decision.  if you receive an unexpected phone call urging you to take action, be extra cautious.  It could be a scam. 

• Keeping Your Passwords Squeaky Clean

  Another great article from our friends on KnowBe4's Security Team

  Did you know that the average person uses the same three to seven passwords to log in to over 170 online accounts? In addition to being reused, these passwords are often weak and can be easily guessed by cybercriminals. If cybercriminals guess these passwords, they could access the majority of their victim’s online accounts. Even worse, the victim may not know that their password has been compromised for several months or years. To keep your passwords squeaky clean and safe from cybercriminals, follow the tips below:

  Create Strong Passwords

  Creating strong passwords helps prevent cybercriminals from gaining access to your online accounts. Your passwords should be as long, complex, and random as possible. While many websites only require passwords to be eight characters long, we recommend making your password at least 12 characters long. You should also include a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols in your password. To keep your accounts extra safe, you can use password phrases, or passphrases. However, when you create your password or passphrase, make sure that you don’t use any personal information that a cybercriminal could guess.

  Don't Reuse Passwords

  Reusing passwords for your online accounts may be convenient, but it’s also risky. If you reuse passwords, you could be at risk of having multiple accounts compromised at once. If a cybercriminal guesses your password, they could access multiple accounts instead of just one account. Cybercriminals can also sell passwords or make them available online. Creating a unique password for each online account reduces the risk if one of your passwords is compromised.

  Use a Password Manager

  You’re probably wondering how you are supposed to remember long, complex passwords for all of your online accounts. The answer is a password manager. You can use password managers to securely store all of your passwords. Instead of having to remember passwords for every online account, you only have to remember one password for your password manager. In addition to storing your passwords, many password managers can also generate passwords for you based on specific criteria.

  Use Multi-Factor Authentication

  You can also use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to secure your online accounts, if available. MFA requires multiple forms of authentication, such as a password and a code from your smartphone or a USB smart key. By requiring you to use multiple forms of authentication, cybercriminals will have a harder time gaining access to your account, even if your password is compromised.
  

  Nobody wants cybercriminals to guess their passwords. To keep your passwords squeaky clean and safe, remember to create strong passwords, avoid reusing passwords, and use a password manager or MFA, if possible.                 

   

  The KnowBe4 Security Team