Keeper Security has issued a warning about a far more creepy threat this Halloween season: phishing scams.
In a press release on Thursday, Keeper Security likened cybercriminals to children in Halloween costumes, disguising themselves to trick unsuspecting individuals into revealing sensitive information like login credentials and Social Security numbers.
“Holidays and other significant events are the premium opportunity for cybercriminals to strike with phishing emails, fake websites, malicious links, and phony charities,” Darren Guccione, CEO and co-founder of Keeper Security, said in an email to VPNOverview.
“These significant dates and events have proven to be lucrative enough that hackers have come to focus not only on the events themselves, but also opportunities to target victims before and after the actual event.”
Trick or Treat: Spotting Phishing Tactics
As Halloween approaches, the anticipation is in the air for costumes, candy, and spooky fun. And cyber attacks, like phishing, are on the rise. Cybercriminals take advantage of the increased traffic and high sales volumes during major public events to launch phishing attacks.
“Threat actors at all levels generally rely on conventional aesthetic-based, phishing tactics to lure in their victims. Innocent people who are not trained on phishing prevention, generally focus on the “pinstripes” of a message,” Guccione said.
Keeper Security outlined a few recommendations to help you spot a phishing message and avoid falling for social engineering tactics:
- Urgent language: Cybercriminals use language to create a sense of urgency, encouraging victims to act swiftly without second-guessing.
- Email discrepancies: Phishing emails may have subtle variations from legitimate addresses, like “0” in place of an “o” or “.net” instead of “.com.”
- Unexpected requests: Unsolicited requests for personal information, especially from unknown sources, should be a red flag.
- Spelling and grammar Mistakes: Phishing messages usually have minor errors in stark contrast to authentic corporate messages, which are thoroughly scrutinized for errors.
Check out our guide to phishing for more information about how to recognize and stay safe from these attacks.
Protecting Yourself From Phishing Attacks
Keeper Security outlined a few practical steps you can take to protect yourself from cyber ghouls:
- Think before clicking: Avoid opening unsolicited links or attachments, as they might contain malware.
- Use a password manager: It will not only manage your passwords but also warn you about suspicious websites.
- Invest in an email scanner: This tool scans attachments for potential threats and can detect harmful phishing attempts.
- Enable multi-factor authentication: This adds an extra layer of security to accounts by requiring additional authentication steps. Use passkeys if available.
- Verify suspicious messages: Always double-check with the alleged sender through a separate communication method if a message seems dubious.
Check out our in-depth review of Keeper password manager to discover why this is one of our top-rated password managers.
Want to watch some great Halloween movies? Check out our Halloween movie streaming guide.
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