Ransomware- How to Protect Yourself

NCCIC has received multiple reports of WannaCry ransomware infections worldwide. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects and restricts access to a computer until a ransom is paid. Although there are other methods of delivery, ransomware is frequently delivered through phishing emails and exploits unpatched vulnerabilities in software.

Phishing emails are crafted to appear as though they have been sent from a legitimate organization or known individual. These emails often entice users to click on a link or open an attachment containing malicious code. After the code is run, your computer may become infected with malware.

A commitment to cyber hygiene and best practices is critical to protecting organizations and users from cyber threats, including malware.

In advice specific to the recent WannaCry ransomware threat, users should:

·         Be careful when clicking directly on links in emails, even if the sender appears to be known; attempt to verify web addresses independently (e.g., contact your organization's helpdesk or search the Internet for the main website of the organization or topic mentioned in the email).

·         Exercise caution when opening email attachments. Be particularly wary of compressed or ZIP file attachments.

·         Follow best practices for Server Message Block (SMB) and update to the latest version immediately. (See US-CERT’s SMBv1 Current Activity for more information.)

For general best practices on patching and phishing, users should:

·         Ensure that your applications and operating system has been patched with the latest updates. Vulnerable applications and operating systems are the target of most attacks. (See Understanding Patches.)

·         Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from individuals asking about employees or other internal information. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company.

·         Avoid providing personal information or information about your organization, including its structure or networks, unless you are certain of a person's authority to have the information.

·         Avoid revealing personal or financial information in email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in email.

·         Be cautious about sending sensitive information over the Internet before checking a website's security. (See Protecting Your Privacy.)

·         Pay attention to the URL of a website. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net).

·         If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it by contacting the company directly. Do not use contact information provided on a website connected to the request; instead, check previous statements for contact information. Information about known phishing attacks is also available online from anti-phishing groups such as the APWG.

·         Install and maintain anti-virus software, firewalls, and email filters to reduce some of this traffic. (See Understanding Firewalls, Understanding Anti-Virus Software, and Reducing Spam for additional information.)

Security Tip- Typical SCAM and How to Avoid It

Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks Original release date: October 22, 2009 | Last revised: October 01, 2016 

Do not give sensitive information to anyone unless you are sure that they are indeed who they claim to be and that they should have access to the information. 

The below screen shots was a recent attempt to steal/hack unsuspecting users with USAA accounts:

This was the ad sent out. Below was the site involved.

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What is a social engineering attack?

In a social engineering attack, an attacker uses human interaction (social skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems. 

An attacker may seem unassuming and respectable, possibly claiming to be a new employee, repair person, or researcher and even offering credentials to support that identity. However, by asking questions, he or she may be able to piece together enough information to infiltrate an organization's network. If an attacker is not able to gather enough information from one source, he or she may contact another source within the same organization and rely on the information from the first source to add to his or her credibility. 

What is a phishing attack?

Phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites to solicit personal information by posing as a trustworthy organization. For example, an attacker may send email seemingly from a reputable credit card company or financial institution that requests account information, often suggesting that there is a problem. When users respond with the requested information, attackers can use it to gain access to the accounts.

Phishing attacks may also appear to come from other types of organizations, such as charities.

Attackers often take advantage of current events and certain times of the year, such as 

• natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina, Indonesian tsunami)
• epidemics and health scares (e.g., H1N1) 
• economic concerns (e.g., IRS scams) 
• major political elections 
• holidays 

How do you avoid being a victim?

• Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from individuals asking about employees or other internal information. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company. 
• Do not provide personal information or information about your organization, including its structure or networks, unless you are certain of a person's authority to have the information. 
• Do not reveal personal or financial information in email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in email. 
• Don't send sensitive information over the Internet before checking a website's security (see Protecting Your Privacy for more information). 
• Pay attention to the URL of a website. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net). 
• If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it by contacting the company directly. 
• Do not use contact information provided on a website connected to the request; instead, check previous statements for contact information.

Information about known phishing attacks is also available online from groups such as the Anti-Phishing Working Group (http://www.antiphishing.org). 

• Install and maintain anti-virus software, firewalls, and email filters to reduce some of this traffic (see Understanding Firewalls, Understanding Anti-Virus Software, and Reducing Spam for more information). 
• Take advantage of any anti-phishing features offered by your email client and web browser. What do you do if you think you are a victim? 
• If you believe you might have revealed sensitive information about your organization, report it to the appropriate people within the organization, including network administrators. They can be alert for any suspicious or unusual activity. 
• If you believe your financial accounts may be compromised, contact your financial institution immediately and close any accounts that may have been compromised. Watch for any explainable charges to your account. 
• Immediately change any passwords you might have revealed. If you used the same password for multiple resources, make sure to change it for each account, and do not use that password in the future. 
• Watch for other signs of identity theft (see Preventing and Responding to Identity Theft for more information). 
• Consider reporting the attack to the police, and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission (https://www.ftc.gov/). Author Mindi McDowell 

[Source: https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-014] 

Imposters Top The List Of Fraud Complaints

A short time ago, ID theft was the biggest scam out there. No longer.

According to experts, the newest and biggest form of fraud are impostors.

People claiming to be IRS agents or tech support agents or with the billing department of your power company. They’re trying to soak you for cash and sometimes, it works.

The Federal Trade Commission tallies up the frequency and type of consumer complaints received each year and in 2016, there were more then 3 million complaints of impostors. The top gripe is still debt collection at 28 percent of all complaints, CBS News reports, but most of those complaints involve aggressive collection practices and not fraud.

In the fraud department, impostors lead the list for the first time since the feds started keeping records in 1997. Not all consumers report all their losses – understandable embarrassment – but of those who do, they total $744.5 million or a whipping $1,124 per person.

“We are very troubled by the impostor scams both because of the growth and because the many involve [crooks] using the names of government agencies to get money out of people,” said Monica Vaca, acting associate director in the Division of Consumer Response and Operations at the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC said it’s trying to hunt down these criminals through law enforcement and to educate consumers about the warning signs to prevent victims from losing more money.

So here are some of the biggest scams and how to spot them:

IRS Scams:

Agents call you or email you or even text message you and tell you that you owe money. They threaten legal action and tell you to send payment by money order or cashier’s check or prepaid debit card. This is a scam for one reason: The IRS will always first contact you by mail and they never insist on payments by cashiers checks or credit card payments. They also never threaten you with arrest or jail time if you don’t pay immediately.

Tech Support Scams:

This is where you receive a call from someone who claims to be a Microsoft or Apple tech support agent who has detected a problem with your computer. They urge you to visit a site or do something with your computer to give them control over your computer and “fix” whatever is wrong.

Or you get a popup window on your screen telling you your computer isn’t secure and you must download software immediately off of the internet.

These are total scams. Real tech support departments don’t call you out of the blue, nor can they detect problems you haven’t reported. And while you may need security software, you don’t get it from a popup ad. Most computers less than five years old have security software that just needs to be regularly updated.

Grand-kid Scams:

With 37 percent of fraud victims 60 or older, senior citizens are a ripe target for fraudsters. One common tactic is the phone call from someone who claims to be a grandchild and that they’re in trouble and need cash wired to them or someone ASAP. Never take this at face value unless you’re 100 percent sure it’s a relative. A quick call back to the grandchild or another family member could clear this up.

Online Romance Scams:

If you’ve ever signed up for a dating site, you’re a prime target for this scam. The other person claims to be the person of your dreams and tries to strike up a romance. They tell you they would love to meet you in person, but are stuck somewhere for some reason that can only be solved with some quick cash. Of course, when they get the cash, they’ll always want more.

You can tell this is a scam when someone you’ve never met claims to fall madly in love with you.

Outside of romance scams, which are initiated and often pursued completely online, some 77 percent of impostors approach their victims via phone, federal officials say. One way to thwart these attempts is to let unknown callers go to your answering machine. Con artists rarely leave a message. You can also use services like Nomorobo or Hiya to block so-called robo-calls — machine-dialed calls that crooks typically use.

Additionally, the type of payment you’re asked to provide can also serve as a warning. Government officials said 58 percent of victims said they paid via wire transfer in 2016. Prepaid debit cards are also popular with scammers because these payments are untraceable and impossible to reverse. If you paid a crook by credit card, on the other hand, you can dispute the charge and likely get your money back.

[source: March 8, 2017 By Robert Gehl]