Cybersecurity experts warn of impending attacks - Do this now to prepare
In the very first days that the Russia Ukraine war started, I warned you about 10 Russia-Ukraine cons to expect. We’re already seeing evidence of those scams in action. Be sure you’re keeping your digital guard up.
Smishing — the insider term for scam texts — is a popular route. Most people are less guarded scanning texts than emails. Look for these signs a text is bad news and how to report it.
Misinformation and misleading posts are slamming social media, too. Here are my tricks to spotting fake Russian accounts and posts.
As sanctions increase and Russia’s tactics intensify, it’s easy to think that you will not be affected aside from high gas prices. This idea is exactly what will get you into trouble—time to wake up.
What you need to know
In 2020, Russian hackers invaded several federal government agencies, including the nuclear weapons agency. That’s small potatoes of what could come. A Russian attack on our fiber optic cables or satellites would take down a ton of critical sectors, like internet traffic, banking, GPS, water treatment facilities, power plants, and the power grid.
Many cybersecurity experts predict large-scale Denial of Service attacks. This attack swamps a website with trillions of pings. The website is so busy answering each ping that it can’t respond to anything else. If this happens, government and private industry could take days or even months to sort out.
Wait, there’s more. Russia could launch phishing and other attacks to plant dangerous malware and ransomware on business and individual computers and networks.
Have a plan in case your internet goes down
Our minds jump to the worst-case scenario in times of distress. Say your internet goes out. Before blaming a large-scale attack, make sure the problem isn’t closer to home.
Tap or click here for the best apps you can use to troubleshoot your bad Wi-Fi for Android and iPhone. You can also check outage monitoring site Down Detector if only specific sites aren’t loading.
If your internet is out and you have cell service, you can use your phone as a hotspot. You need to set this ahead of time, so you’re comfortable using it.
Ukraine Invasion: What it means for you and your family if Russia retaliates against the US
Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, launching a coordinated attack by land, sea and air. Joseph Borrel, the EU foreign affairs chief, put it simply: “These are among the darkest hours of Europe since the Second World War.” Countries globally are condemning Russia, weighing in with sanctions to protest, and America’s voice is one of the loudest.
Cybercriminals are going after the US power grid
Hackers are more than capable of destroying your life with nothing more than a computer in hand. Thanks to the rise of cyberattacks and malware, it’s easy for them to break into networks, steal data and sell it to the highest bidder.