Don't Forget Cyber Security Over the Holidays
The holiday season is often a prime season for cyber threats, as many people shop online, travel, and give to charities. The bad actors will use these opportunities to take advantage of unsuspecting people by using phishing emails, fake websites or payment portals, and social engineering attacks to steal personal and financial information.
The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released advisories about increased targeted phishing activity from cyber criminals to banks and other financial institutions. As always, awareness and education are amongst the best ways to protect against these threats.
Many of the red flags for recognizing a phishing email also apply to spear-phishing (targeted phishing emails). Pay close attention to:
- Email addresses that are different from the name. An example is an email that looks like it’s from Brett Buckus of the Bank’s InfoSec team but then next to his name it shows <sally@hotels.com>.
- An unusual sense of urgency.
- Poor spelling/grammar or an unusual writing style.
- Hover over a link in an email - it is a red flag if the info that pops up does not match the link.
- Only click on links if absolutely necessary and you do not see any red flags. Avoid clicking links and go directly to a website.
- If an email appears suspicious, reach out to the person directly via phone to confirm they sent the email
Steps you can take to protect yourself when shopping online include:
- Make sure the device you are using is up-to-date with the latest patches, and antivirus software.
- Make sure your payment accounts all have strong passwords and use multi-factor authentication whenever possible.
- Keep an eye on your accounts for purchases you do not recognize, and if you see any, change your password immediately and contact your bank or card issuer.
- Only shop trusted sites. If a site looks suspicious, it’s better to be cautious and look elsewhere for the item.
- Be wary of “too good to be true” deals.
If you suspect a scam, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/.
The information contained in this article should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice, and may not be reflective of terms and features currently offered by Enterprise Bank. Please contact us for details on current product offerings and rates.
To learn about products and services offered by Enterprise Bank, please visit https://www.enterprisebanking.com. If you would like to speak to an Enterprise Banker about opening an account, we invite you to call us at 877-671-2265 or visit one of our convenient branch locations.