Eat, Drink, & Be Wary

This Holiday Season ….

It is a time of joy, generosity, and, for many, a whirlwind of gatherings, traveling, and shopping. Unfortunately, it’s also prime time for cybercriminals. With all the season preparations and events, people often get too busy and distracted. Critical security protocols can sometimes be rushed or forgotten, making everyone even more vulnerable to attacks. Cyber attackers are actively seeking targets just like you for private data or access to your work network. Some are so overwhelmed this time of year, it takes them a while to notice they were compromised. Data breaches can lead to serious consequences, from financial losses, identity theft, and brand reputation. Don’t risk your peace. Stay alert and safeguard yourself from potential threats.

Ploys for Bots

Increased online activity brings malicious opportunities. And with so many targets, attackers seek to scale their efforts. They engage bots to hit hard and fast.

What can bots do? Bots can be used to efficiently exploit vulnerabilities, steal private information, or disrupt operations and services. This time of year, it is also phishing season. Hackers can spread malware through bots that can automate sending emails, messages, or social media posts that contain malicious links. Those who click on these links are redirected to phishing sites that steal their sensitive information or download malware onto their devices. Many times, these emails spoof the sender’s email address of a familiar company or executive. It looks legitimate and the recipient is more likely to click on a link.

Some common attacks include:

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) overwhelms networks with traffic to slow down and crash networks
Credential Stuffing bots use stolen username and password combinations obtained from data breaches to try logging into accounts across various platforms; these bots can quickly test credentials on many websites, relying on users’ tendency to reuse passwords.
Drive By Download Bot can distribute malware without a user knowing when someone visits a malicious or compromised website.