Jack’s Hacks: Fall Edition

The Latest in Cybersecurity

Scams from the Crypt 

If you haven’t heard, there’s a disturbing new trend where cybercriminals take advantage of grieving families. These scams typically involve fraudsters setting up fake social media pages or livestreams for funerals to trick mourners into donating money or sharing personal information. Scammers exploit the grief of families by requesting payment for “funeral services” or access to a fake live stream, deceiving people into sending money under false pretenses.  

A recent BBC report warned that cybercriminals quickly respond to memorial posts by funeral companies, creating fake profiles using photos and details of the deceased. These posts look real, often copying images from funeral or tribute sites, but they’re scams designed to trick people distracted by grief. 

What to look out for: 

• If you’ve posted about the death of a loved one, be wary of strange friend requests. These could be from scammers wanting to comment on your post.
• If you see a comment on a memorial post with suspicious links to a livestream, report it.
• You should never have to pay to view a livestream of a funeral. If you want to donate to the family, make sure you know who you’re dealing with. If possible, verify with a funeral director or someone close to the family. 

It’s a sad reality but everyone needs to be cautiously skeptical online, even when paying respects to a grieving family. Cybercriminals are exactly that—criminals— Victim blaming has no place here. It’s unfortunate that mourners or those impacted by a family member or friend’s death, now have to dodge online scams during a vulnerable time.  

Be proactive and protect yourself.

Jack’s Top Monthly Hacks

For Businesses:

Everything is NOT Fine: Never Underestimate Cybersecurity for Your Business 

Cyberattacks aren’t going away, but many businesses still don’t take them seriously enough. Here are three major issues I keep seeing: 

Skipping the basics: Many focus on advanced tools but ignore essentials like backups, patching and employee cyber awareness training. Not having these essentials in place makes your business vulnerable to attacks and recovery will take longer than you expect.  

Not budgeting for cyber security: Cyber security is a must-have small business expense—ignoring it puts your company at risk. Yes, it’s an added cost, but these days it’s an investment. Having a cyber security approach and plan will reduce the costs or the occurrence of a cyber security incident or breach.  Ignoring it risks the entire health of your business. Make cyber security a line item in your budget—think of it as essential as electricity. 

False sense of security: Many small and mid-sized businesses mistakenly believe they’re too insignificant to be targeted by cybercriminals. However, the reality is quite the opposite—nearly 73% of American SMEs have been targeted because hackers assume these businesses lack strong cyber security defenses. Invest in solid security measures and prove that assumption wrong. 

The good news? Cyber security is easier than you might think. The first step is simply getting started and asking for help. This support is provided to Cyberboxx Business clients at no cost.  

For Individuals 

Keeping Kids Cybersafe

Parents and educators have a responsibility to encourage open conversations about responsible internet use and being mindful of online predators. Cyber threats are always present. We must take steps to protect our children: 

• Make the most of technology and update your systems to protect devices that your children might use from cyber threats like data and identity theft.  
• Establish guidelines for your children’s online usage. Keep electronic devices like phones, tablets, and gaming systems out of your kids’ bedrooms. 
• Remind kids to think twice before posting or sharing anything on digital platforms – it may be online forever and could be used against them.  
• Manage kids’ online privacy. Make sure they don’t give out personal details like addresses, telephone numbers or the name of their school. 
• Watch for cyberbullies. One in five tweens have been cyberbullied, cyberbullied others, or seen cyberbullying. Regularly check devices for signs of cyberbullying.