GEC NEWS WIREFortinet warns businesses and individuals in the Middle East to brace for escalating cyber-attacks as cyber-criminals expand their targets to home network devices and mobile devices. “We have all learned to lock our cars, deadbolt our doors, look both ways before crossing the street, and avoid dark alleyways and streets at night. It is time to develop the same good habits as we navigate through our digital environment” says Anthony Giandomenico, Senior Security Strategist/Researcher, Fortinet.
Fortinet offers the following cyber-safety tips to mitigate the risks of cyber-attacks: Control Your Social Media: Be careful who you “friend” on your application. Cybercriminals often set up fake pages or accounts and request to be added as a friend. Look out for the following to identify fake requests from criminals hoping to steal data or trick you into clicking on links to infected sites.
Scrutinize Your Online Transactions: Your bank will never initiate a request to verify your account or provide your login credentials. Such requests, either online or via email, can safely be ignored or deleted. Should one receive an email or a browser page with a link attached, always look at the URL before you click it. To remove any doubts, simply log into the site directly rather than use the link provided, or call your financial institution to ensure that the request is legitimate.
Inspect Your Email: Never click on an attachment or web link in an email from someone you do not know, that you did not request, or that does not seem entirely legitimate. A quick way to check the validity of an email is to simply look at the email address of the sender. Does the email match the organization? Is it especially long, from a different organization or location from what you expected, or does it include strings of letters or numbers? If so, you can safely delete it.
Update Your Devices: Review devices in your home that are connected to the Internet. These should include phones, DVRs, TVs, security cameras and other online devices, and even home routers and wireless access points. Write down the names of the manufacturers and the model numbers, and list all the software running on these systems. Once you have a complete inventory list, search for known vulnerabilities or patches, and make sure that these devices and applications are running the latest patches and the most current versions of their operating systems, firmware, or software.
