Hi there Hawaii – we’ve made the #1 top spot in the country again! This time it’s not worst traffic or roads, but for being most at risk for cyber attacks.
This was such big news we even made a video about it:
According to security.org, who compiled a new report from FBI cyber attack data, Hawaii ranks #1 in being at risk and biggest increases in victimization rate and didn’t make the top 10 list of states that spent the most on cyber security protection.
It’s no joke that more than 6 in 10 American adults have been the victim of a major data breach, and it’s estimated that as much as 90 percent of logins to e-commerce sites are actually attacks. The total losses are in the billions, of not trillions, of dollars, not to mention the erosion of trust in businesses, organizations and government.
There are some interesting finds in the report. First was the average amount stolen based on age. The average for people over 60 was almost $350,000!
The second was the face that the entry point for most of these criminals was through compromised email accounts.
The take away:
Since compromised email was the top rated method by which criminals were able to successfully steal people’s money, almost 3 times as successful as the #2 spot, confidence fraud/romance, best to start focusing there. Here are 3 quick tips:
Don’t click links in email or texts Data breaches are a daily occurrence, with phishers always looking to attack. One of their most successful ploys is sending links via email or text that look legitimate, but once clicked on, will allow them to steal your information. The easiest way to avoid these scams is by not clicking the links. Instead, open another tab, and go to the website of the company in the email or link to see if the information presented matches the official source.
Get strong security software A good proactive antivirus and security service such as SOS Total Security raises the bar on securing your information, with real-time protection from phishing attacks and threats like malware, ransomware, and more. That way if something does come through, you have a better chance of staying protected.
Use common sense In Hawaii we are generally more trusting of one another and criminals have clearly found a way to use that aloha spirit against us. Use healthy and reasonable skepticism on email messages, text messages and phone calls, even if they appear to come from someone you know.
Stay safe out there.
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