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Cybercrime sucks, here’s how not to be a victim

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South Africa saw more than 36 million people access the internet in 2017, whether it was through a laptop, PC, tablet or smartphone (Source: Statista). Given the amount of connected devices, cybercrime can no longer be ignored.

Did you know that out of the 19.6% of South Africans who were affected by cybercrime, 48.8% were affected by local threats? Additionally, when it comes to passwords, 40% of South Africans store these insecurely, while 15% use the same password for all accounts? These statistics were shared by Kaspersky Lab at the recent Cyber Security Weekend in Istanbul, for the period ending March 2018.

What this essentially means is that South Africans are clicking on phishing links relating to banks, refunds from Sars, incorrect debit orders, or One Time Pin-related scams for SIM swaps, to name a few. A general rule to remember is that banks and Sars will never ask you to confirm personal information over email, so the links you receive should not be clicked under any circumstances.

Kaspersky Lab’s senior security researcher, Fabio Assolini, chatted to City Press about mobile and social network-related issues that users need to be aware of. The most important is the use of free public Wi-Fi. Let’s be honest, we all love using free Wi-Fi at a mall and our favourite coffee shops but we need to be aware that cybercriminals could be on the same network intercepting our data.

READ MORE: How vulnerable are you on the internet? Here are a few ways to protect yourself

Assolini says using virtual private network (VPN) is the best way to stay protected while using free Wi-Fi as it allows for a secure connection that encrypts your data so hackers cannot access it.

The company offers free VPN apps for both Android (Kaspersky VPN – Secure Connection) and iOS (Kaspersky VPN Connection) for up to 300MB of traffic a day, and has a paid-for version with unlimited protection. While you are free to download any VPN app, it is recommended you stick to a well-known brand, or check how many installs and ratings the app has for peace of mind.

Other tips from Kaspersky Lab around smartphones are: never install an app with which you are not familiar; don’t jailbreak your handset to get free apps; when you see a suspicious link, do a quick Google search; and get an anti-virus if you’re on Android.

READ MORE: How to protect yourself from ATM scammers

Apple’s App Store no longer offers anti-virus apps due to the way iOS is built – third party apps don’t have the ability to scan other apps.

Here are some practical security tips:

  • Use a trusted browser like Chrome because it blacklists malicious and phishing websites by default.
  • Never store credit card info on a browser, online stores or apps.
  • Never click a link you receive on email, SMS, WhatsApp or social media. Instead, type the official URL straight into your browser.
  • The Google Play Store has apps posing as security apps so pay attention to what apps you are downloading.
  • Never put your credit card info into an online store that is not secure or does not offer encryption – look for a picture of a lock on the browser, and the URL should be prefixed with “https”.
  • If someone claims to have completed an incorrect EFT into your account, phone your bank to confirm.
  • Always back up. Should your device be lost, stolen or fall victim to a ransomware attack, you have a copy of your data. If you have unlimited fibre, set your devices to backup at midnight every night.
  • Consider taking out cyberinsurance (King Price, AIG, Michalsons).
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