By Arthur Moses Opio
According to Webroot, a new phishing site is created every 20 seconds. Through these phishing sites, malicious programs are injected that invade the space of their targets. According to research done by FireEye, Phishing targets open 70% of phishing emails they receive.
We write to update all students and staff about cybersecurity and it's importance.
As DICTS does it's best to ensure the core network is secure. As a user, you do have an important role to play. It only takes one click of a suspicious link to be exposed to a cyber attack.
In our article titled "How Did Ransomware Get So Bad". We shared some statistics about how there are 4000 ransomware attacks daily. We are sure the numbers could even be higher as working from home/tele-working and online education continue to be the new norm.
As long as you are connected to the Internet, security can never be 100%. That's why one of the key things to help us navigate this terrain is continuous user awareness on cybersecurity issues. We have not been spared as some colleagues write to us reporting that their computers have been ransomed.
The best medicine for such attacks is to practice prevention just like in the case of COVID where we are told to wash our hands, sanitize and put on masks. With regards to averting attacks, besides having an up to date computer, having an antivirus, one of the things most encouraged is to ALWAYS BACKUP. Use the cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. so that you always have a backup copy of your most critical work.
We are better off being safe than sorry. Let us practice prevention as the cures come through.
- Do not click suspicious links, always report them.
- Ensure your computer is up to date.
- Follow cybersecurity information shared by DICTS at all times.
We are better safe than sorry. Be Cyber Alert.