In the world we live in today, being a cyber crime victim is no alien thing. According to a report by RSA reports on Cybercrime, 2011 was a year of new advanced and sophisticated threats whereas in 2012, cybercrime was found diverging down a different path as new financial malware variants emerge. The entire cybercriminal community seem to effectively find new ways to capitalize sensitive data, with newer and blended attack styles. A rise in hacktivism-related attacks is also found.
Now it’s not just viruses, spam or malware; it’s moved a step further to Trojans, Bots, and online frauds like Phishing, Pharming and Smishing. Identity theft, data leakage and scams are yet another set of concerns for innocent online users. Escaping from such attacks becomes even more difficult with threat coming disguised in form of well wishers and friends or people known to us. A single hacked account is enough to facilitate change in privacy settings for many accounts/profiles.
In scenarios when you realise you have been victimised through any forms of cyber crime, there are few steps or measures you can take to ensure minimum harm or even prevent further spread of the threat.
– The first step should be to analyse the harm done by the attack or scam. As a user many a times you may be unaware of the extent of harm done to you or people sharing the online space with you, and the cause of the attack on you. In such case, the first thing you should start with is to analyse your attack touch points.
– One of the primary steps you should take is to close any account that has been infected, to avoid further spread of infection to your friends or people connected to you online.
– Yet another way to stop the evil intentions of the attacker is by disconnecting your system network connections. This will terminate the external attack process initiated by the attackers.
– Once you are disconnected, the next advisable step would be to scan your system using effective and original updated security software.
– Having a fool-proof back-up of your sensitive data always helps. In cases of your data being leaked or used, you get an additional option of deleting your data online, if you have a back-up ready. A back-up also helps in case your stolen data is erased or deleted by the crimeware itself.
– Check for the exact amount of harm or theft that might have happened. Get clarity on both the data and identity theft separately, and report in cases where you are bound by regulatory compliance requirements to report data/identity theft.
As always said, precaution is always better than cure, hence choose a good security solution and stay updated on the latest cybercrimes doing the round. Subscribe to Cyberoam blog for the latest on network security.
