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Watch For Scams Newsletter. Main Types of Malicious Activity
October 09, 2019
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The Main Types of Malicious Activity

Watch For Scams is dedicated to helping you avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

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The Main Types of Malicious Activity

The Main Types of Malicious Activity are:

1. Malware

2. Phishing

3. Fraudulent Services

4. Potentially Unwanted Programs

5. Exploits

6. Spamming

Malicious software (or malware) has consistently been the weapon of choice for cyber-criminals over the past decade.Reports of phishing activities have also steadily risen in 2009, coinciding with the increased adoption of smartphones.

In 2013, another spike was experienced, which can be linked to the growing popularity of digital payment systems. This attracted unwanted attention from cybercriminals.

Tips to avoid malicious online activity are:

1. Keep operating system (OS) current: Keep it up to date. OS developers regularly issue security patches that fix and plug security leaks.

2. Do not give in to ransom demands: There are no guarantees that files will be released when dealing with criminals.

3. Think before you click: Do not click on a link in an unsolicited email or open email attachments from somebody that you do not know. Hover over the link to check its validity.

4. Do not reuse passwords: Use unique passwords for all online accounts. Randomly mix up symbols and numbers with letters. The longer and more complex the password, the more effective it will be in preventing brute-force attacks.

5. Install ad blockers: Ads can be used to serve up malware or malvertising, which is malicious advertising containing viruses, and these simple web extensions can prevent this.

6. Install script blockers, particularly JavaScript-blockers: Privacy-preserving tools pre-emptively block malicious scripts and only allow JavaScript, Java and other content from trusted sites.

If you believe you have been a victim of this type of scam you should promptly report it to the IC3's website at www.IC3.gov. The IC3's complaint database links complaints together to refer them to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration.

Remember - always watch for scams!

Steve

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