We look at how to protect yourself from Tech Support and Online Scams as we celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness month
A recent Microsoft study from 16 countries shows that less people are now susceptible to tech support and online scams. Another reveals millennials between the ages of 18 and 34 are exposed to the highest levels of online risks.
This we can say will be attributed to millennials spending the most time online. And the increasing education and awareness of these scams.
But it doesn’t mean the threat or its realism doesn’t still persist. Athima shares that people have become savvy to such scams.
Consumers have developed a healthy skepticism about unsolicited contact from technology and software companies. They’ve become savvy to flagging such contact as a potential scam. – Athima Chansanchai
But how is Microsoft helping in this fight? Microsoft says through advanced analytics at its Digital Crimes Unit, they identify the players. Collaborating with appropriate security agencies to disrupt fraudulent enterprises.
The month of October is denoted a month to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. We look at how you can further protect yourself from tech support or other online scams. You can also read a previous post talking about how to Protect yourself from Email and Web Scams.
What can you do to stay safe from Tech Support and Online Scams
Buy Genuine Software
I know how and why most people don’t buy genuine softwares. Instead collect them from friends or download pirated versions. The reasons are debatable and i really hope this can be addressed to encourage consumers do the right thing. From costs of software, availability, file sizes etc.
Being a victim of viruses, malwares, etc. will be too much and painful, so best avoid it if you can.
Remain in Control
If you ever have to give control of your computer to a third party remain in control. You can terminate the session if you see any thing suspicious. Also confirm that, it is the legitimate rep of a support team if you didn’t initiate the service.
Don’t just click links
When you receive an email that says click to view, etc. don’t just click even if sender is in your contact list. Sometimes they might have been hacked because they were careless and you details were exposed. Confirm email addresses and names, speak to them about that email, it might draw their attention to the situation.
In a haste to move on to certain pages we just accept and click okay without checking what we are accepting or clicking. Check and read before clicking.
A few other things
– Microsoft says it will not send you unsolicited email messages or phone calls to request personal or financial information. Or to provide technical support to fix your computer. Any communication with Microsoft has to be initiated by you.
– Download softwares only from official websites.
– Keep your antiviruses up to date. (Windows 10 comes with an antivirus, just keep it up to date you’ll be fine. Or just use the one you prefer but keep it up to date).
Microsoft holds Chief Security Officer (CSO) Executive Series themed “Think like a hacker” targeted at security experts in Accra.
The CSO Executive Series targeted at IT admins and security officers of companies was led by Greg Tworek. Greg is the director of CQURE and also a trainer at CQUREAcademy where they help experts level up. Microsoft created the CSO executive series to enables participants network with peers and engage international security SMEs. It is also an event to teach on how to create an effective information security strategy against threats and hackers.
Every day, you can do something to protect your company from attacks. Especially when taking into consideration the newest technologies. It is surprising how often a hacker can use the same paths to enter your system. Let’s put you into the hacker’s role, and perform all the activities they would to better understand the threats. – Microsoft
The very informative sessions get you to see and think from a hackers point of view. What they think and how they think when trying to steal and take information from you that will be used in later days or months. Participants also learnt some very useful tools for whitelisting, checking ransomware, phishing etc.
Session modules included topics such as your company as a potential hacker’s target and Protecting privacy and identity. Also an informative session on Using Information Technology to prevent attacks and threats.
In the era of cloud computing information on Data storage security and Data sharing security was shared.
Greg sharing on some Security Best Practices;
Understanding is the Key
Put on the Hackers Shoes
Prevention is the key to success.
Did you know 67% of young workers think cooperate social media policies are outdated. Digital signature is a great way to protect your stuff. Also 70% of users do not password protect their smartphones.
One very helpful and interesting fact Greg shared was that Office 365 cloud solutions provide a lot of gains and security.
Follow more details check out the conversation via the hashtag #MSSecurityGH. The event is also scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya follow via the hashtag #MSSecurityKE
Join Scott Guthrie and James Staten for Microsoft Tech Summit Middle East and Africa and discover how Microsoft’s enterprise cloud solutions can help you stay competitive in today’s digital transformation landscape.
Tech Summit is a free, two-day technical training event for IT professionals and developers with experts who build the cloud services across Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and Windows 10.
The Microsoft Tech Summit is travelling around the world. There’ll be two events planned out for the Africa and Middle East regions. One in Johannesburg, South Africa and the other in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Microsoft Tech Summit Tel Aviv, Israel.
Microsoft’s Executive Vice President of the Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise Group, Scott Guthrie will be in Tel Aviv as the Keynote speaker. The summit will take place on December 7th, 10 a.m. IDT (7am GMT). He’ll speak like in recent conferences,on how Microsoft’s cloud solutions can help deliver new ways to engage customers, be more productive and create new business models that optimize operations.
The Microsoft Tech Summit Johannesburg will take place on the 6th to the 7th of February in 2017. The event will take place at the Sandton Convention Center, Randburg, Johannesburg.
Microsoft’s General Manger and Chief Strategist Cloud and Enterprise group, James Staten will speak at the keynote event. He’ll be sharing on how Microsoft’s enterprise solutions can help you be more successful, more productive and add value to your IT organization in today’s digital transformation landscape.
Register and get more information for the Johannesburg event here .
The events will feature about 50 technical training sessions. Topics will range from Microsoft Azure, the hybrid platform including security, networking, data, storage, identity, mobile, cloud infrastructure, management, devops, app platform and productivity.
There’ll be opportunities to speak to the experts and receive hands on help. You’ll also have the opportunity to trial and test some of these solutions at the Hands-on Labs. There’ll also be various sessions to shop during the 2 day events.
Are you planning and looking forward to attending? Follow the events on social platforms with the hashtag #MSTechSummit and #TechSummitSA
In designing Windows 10 the Microsoft OS team had making computing very personal for the end user says Corporate Vice President, Operating Systems Group at Microsoft Joe Belfiore and as such are introducing like some of the other already cool features (if you are signed up for the Insiders Program you’ll know this) another cool new “personal computing” feature – Windows Hello and Microsoft Passport -.
Windows Hello is a biometric authentication feature which can provide instant access to your Windows 10 devices. With Windows Hello, you’ll be able to just show your face, or touch your finger to new devices running Windows 10 and be immediately recognized without hassle. And not only is Windows Hello more convenient than typing a password—it’s more secure! Our system enables you to authenticate applications, enterprise content, and even certain online experiences without a password being stored on your device or in a network server at all.
How Windows Hello works?
It uses a system support for biometric authentication using the face, iris or fingerprint with specialized hardware including fingerprint reader, illuminated IR sensor or other biometric sensors. If your device already has a fingerprint reader, you’ll be able to use Windows Hello to unlock that device, A picture of you or someone trying to impersonate you can’t be used to login. The cameras use infrared technology (like that of the Kinect technology) to identify your face or iris and can recognize you in a variety of lighting conditions.
Microsoft Passport is a code name for a programming system that IT managers, software developers and website authors can use to provide a more secure way of letting you sign-in to their sites or apps. Instead of using a shared or shareable secret like a password, Windows 10 helps to securely authenticate to applications, websites and networks on your behalf—without sending up a password. Thus, there is no shared password stored on their servers for a hacker to potentially compromise.
Microsoft passport gives you access to online content and apps without passwords but more securely and will work with your Microsoft account and the Azure active directory and other sites using the azure active directory.
When you read an email or surf the Internet, you should be wary of scams that try to steal your personal information (identity theft), your money, or both. Many of these scams are known as “phishing scams” because they “fish” for your information.
How to recognize scams?
New scams seem to appear every day. To see some of the latest scams, check the (Security fraud section) in addition, you can learn to recognize a scam by familiarizing yourself with some of the telltale signs.
Scams can contain the following:
Alarmist messages and threats of account closures.
Promises of money for little or no effort.
Deals that sound too good to be true.
Requests to donate to a charitable organization after a disaster that has been in the news.
Here are some popular scams that you should be aware of:
Scams that use the Microsoft name or names of other well-known companies. These scams include fake email messages or websites that use the Microsoft name. The email message might claim that you have won a Microsoft contest, that Microsoft needs your logon information or password, or that a Microsoft representative is contacting you to help you with your computer. (These fake tech-support scams are often delivered by phone.) For more information, see Avoid scams that use the Microsoft name fraudulently.
Lottery scams. You might receive messages that claim that you have won the Microsoft lottery or sweepstakes. These messages might even look like they come from a Microsoft executive. There is no Microsoft Lottery. Delete the message. For more information, see What is the Microsoft Lottery Scam?
Rogue security software scams. Rogue security software, also known as “scareware,” is a software that appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but provides limited or no security, generates erroneous or misleading alerts, or attempts to lure you into participating in fraudulent transactions. These scams can appear in email, online advertisements, your social networking site, search engine results, or even in pop-up windows on your computer that might appear to be part of your operating system, but are not. For more information, see Watch out for fake virus alerts.
What to do if you think you have been a victim of a scam
If you suspect that you’ve responded to a phishing scam with personal or financial information, take these steps to minimize any damage.
Change the passwords or PINs on all your online accounts that you think might be compromised.
Place a fraud alert on your credit reports. Check with your bank or financial advisor if you’re not sure how to do this.
Contact the bank or the online merchant directly. Do not follow the link in the fraudulent email message.
If you know of any accounts that were accessed or opened fraudulently, close those accounts.
Routinely review your bank and credit card statements monthly for unexplained charges or inquiries that you didn’t initiate.
