Catfish is the name given to an individual who creates a fake online profile with the intent of committing fraud or deception. Most commonly seen on dating or social networking sites, catfishing is often used to gain access to funds or secure information. Catfishes use their false profiles to trick their victims into handing over money or personal details. In certain situations, catfish may even target businesses.
Phishing is a form of cyber-attack in which criminals impersonate a trustworthy or legitimate source, usually requesting sensitive and personal information such as passwords and/or bank account details of the victim. Phishing scams commonly target victims via email in an attempt to get individuals or groups to visit a webpage, complete a fake form or download an attachment. Find out more about the different types of phishing, how to protect your email and how to prevent one of the most common and dangerous internet threats.
Ransomware is a type of malware that can lock a device or encrypt its contents, this prevents the user from accessing their personal files in order to extort money. In return, operators of the malicious code promise – of course, without any guarantees – to restore access to the affected machine or data. Ransomware can appear in different forms, more commonly they will appear as a pop-up on your computer but users must also be wary of unsolicited emails that could trick them into clicking through to dodgy sites or download links. Read on to learn more and find out how you can protect against ransomware.
The term malware derives from the words ‘malicious’ and ‘software’, and refers to code specifically designed to infiltrate a computer or device without authorised access. This umbrella term is used to encompass all the various different types of malware, from computer viruses to Trojan horses, no matter how it attacks its victims or the severity of damage it leaves. While malware doesn’t cause damage to hardware, it can steal, delete and hijack your data while spying on your activity without you knowing.
Simply put, spam is a digital version of junk mail. Described as any form of unsolicited communication sent in bulk (Unsolicited Bulk Email, or UBE), a common form of spam is a commercial email (Unsolicited Commercial Email, or UCE). These unsolicited emails are sent from an anonymous source to a large number of addresses so that even if few people respond, the sender is still making money. However, “spamming” is sometimes sent via instant messages such as texts or direct messages on social media channels. Find out more about how to spot a spam email and protect your email server.
A firewall is a virtual 'wall' that works to block or allow traffic – protecting you from unwanted and dangerous attacks, such as malware and identity theft, while ensuring trusted networks are able to pass through. The purpose of a firewall is to filter out any potential hackers or attacks that might misuse or corrupt devices for malicious purposes. Find out more about what firewalls do, how they work and the different types of firewalls.
A Trojan horse (or Trojan virus) is a form of malware that uses a disguise to hide its true purpose in order to infiltrate a device or security system. A Trojan virus will use a disguise that imitates a legitimate software to gain the victims trust, after which the Trojan horse is able to give access to cybercriminals allowing them to steal, delete, block, copy or modify sensitive data.
Identity theft occurs when an attacker fraudulently obtains secure information from a victim and uses this data to impersonate the victim and commit fraud or other crimes. Perpetrators of identity theft are usually motivated by illegal purposes such as applications for credit cards or loans, making online purchases or accessing personal and financial data. Criminals often use phishing and other social engineering techniques to commit online identity theft, however, access to public profiles on social networks are also used to help impersonate victims.
Cryptocurrency mining is the process of verifying and adding cryptocurrency transactions to the blockchain digital ledger. Cryptocurrency mining becomes a cyber threat to you when criminals hijack your device and use it to mine cryptocurrency enabling malicious activity to be directly executed in a victim’s browser. Victims are not asked to consent to this malicious crypto mining and even may be unaware that it is happening in the background.
Adware is a type of software that allows advertisements to pop up on the user's device, usually without their consent. While adware is not always malicious, it can be very intrusive, affecting the performance of computers and other devices. However, in many cases, adware has the malicious goal of installing viruses or tracking online activity. This can compromise the victim’s personal data and be very difficult to remove.
Spyware is another type of software that secretly infiltrates a computer or device with the aim of tracking the user’s browsing habits and accessing personal information. Spyware is generally illegal and can allow attackers to collect information such as credit card details, passwords and even banking data.This data may then be passed onto third parties for malicious purposes. Spyware is often tricky to detect and it can be difficult to remove.