Holidays: Cybercriminals don't care if you've been naughty or nice - The Charlotte Weekly

Cyber-attacks are escalating successful a oversea of much than 5 cardinal net users crossed the world. It’s a cyber-shark’s buffet, and this vacation season, you’re astatine hazard if you deliberation “it won’t hap to me.”

The bully quality is you tin support yourself from scams and fraud. Just retrieve that cybercriminals don’t discriminate, they tin prey connected anyone.

These statistic whitethorn astonishment you:

Anxiety astir having a mobile instrumentality hacked differs by demographic; low-income achromatic women fertile mobile information arsenic their fig 1 concern, portion the wide colonisation ranks mobile information arsenic their 3rd largest concern, according to a caller Recon Analytics survey of much than 3,297 U.S. consumers.
44% of millennials person been victims of online transgression successful the past twelvemonth and 31% admit they stock their passwords with others.
Romance scams resulted successful the astir fiscal losses for adults aged 60 and over.

Younger consumers took fewest actions aft being notified of a information breach affecting their identity/online accounts successful Q1 2022
Nearly 50% of American gamers person experienced a cyberattack connected their gaming relationship oregon device
47% of women who unrecorded successful cities accidental their identities and/or information has been compromised successful the past 6 months owed to deficiency of location net protections, compared with 53% of metropolis men who accidental the aforesaid thing, according to a caller Recon Analytics survey.

People everywhere, careless of gender, race, income level, acquisition oregon property merit to consciousness harmless online. And yet, galore aren’t alert however to support themselves, don’t marque it a priority, oregon hold to enactment until they are alerted to suspicious activity.

With words similar malware, phishing, spoofing and encryption, learning to support yourself tin consciousness similar a college-level course. But it doesn’t person to beryllium that complicated.

Top 5 ways to defender against cyberthreats

By pursuing 5 elemental steps, you tin commencement to support your network, devices and information from galore integer threats.

Understand cyberattacks are real.

One of the archetypal hacks was documented successful 1963 and today, astir 60 years later, hackers are attacking phones and computers each 39 seconds. Cyberattacks proceed to turn successful fig each year.

Be proactive.

Don’t hold for an onslaught to happen. Monitor your accounts regular truthful you are the archetypal to cognize if suspicious enactment is occurring.
Check with your wireless bearer to spot if they person tools to help. AT&T customers tin download the escaped ActiveArmor mobile information app to assistance artifact spam calls and unafraid their idiosyncratic data. And inquire your net supplier astir other layers of information disposable to you astatine home. AT&T Fiber customers tin entree AT&T ActiveArmor net information features astatine nary further outgo to them.

Step up your mobile security.

Mobile devices present relationship for much than 60% of integer fraud. Mobile banking, online shopping, streaming videos and storing documents marque our phones a cardinal determination for delicate information.
Your wireless bearer whitethorn beryllium capable to help. AT&T offers precocious security like Public Wi-Fi Protection, Identity Monitoring and Safe Browsing for nary other complaint with immoderate of our plans. You tin download the escaped app at att.com/activearmorapp.

Protect your passwords.

We each cognize it’s necessary, but not each of america instrumentality steps to bash it. 68% of radical admit to utilizing the aforesaid password crossed aggregate logins.

Using a beardown password that differs from site-to-site volition assistance alteration your chances of being hacked. If you conflict with passwords, see getting a password manager.

Report suspicious substance messages.

As mobile operators person much occurrence blocking amerciable robocalls, scammers person turned to substance messages.  
But present it’s easier than ever to study spam texts to assistance artifact and power them. The latest iOS and Android operating systems person a elemental reporting diagnostic successful their Apple and Google messaging apps.

Dedicate immoderate clip to safeguard your accusation this vacation season. For much cybersecurity resources, visit att.com/CyberAware. If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is caller to computers oregon mobile devices, click here for much accusation connected our escaped integer literacy courses.

Betsy Francis works arsenic AT&T vice president and wide manager for the company's Mid-Atlantic Region.