A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch
I’ve been re‑watching the X‑Files, which has always been one of my favorite television programs. I often think of this show whenever I read another article about people falling for a phishing scam. Almost every day, there are more companies and people that get compromised. I often wonder how many don’t ever get reported.
Why does the X‑Files remind me of scams? Fox Mulder had a poster in his office that said, “I Want To Believe”. I think that is why phishing scams work so well. People want to believe that there is really a Nigerian prince that wants to give them money.
These con games have been around long before there was an internet. Older people will remember getting chain letters. Just send five dollars to the top name(s) on the list and add people you don’t want to keep as friends to the bottom. Send the letter on to them and soon your mail box will be packed with envelopes containing money. I wonder how many readers won the Irish Sweepstakes without even buying a lottery ticket? No, you didn’t really win an all expenses paid vacation that requires a small processing fee.
When governments, companies, school districts, etc. get ransomware installed, it is often because an employee clicked on a link in an e‑mail. They wanted to believe that their boss wanted them to do something, that their schedule had been updated or that there is another important event happening.
I’m knocking on the wood of my computer desk as I tell you that I have never had a virus or malware on any of my many computers. This is despite the fact that I sometimes visit some “shady” web sites. On those rare occasions, you can bet that I’ve opened my browser in a sandbox.
So how do I avoid all the evils? I just follow a few simple rules.
• I almost never click on a link received in an e‑mail. This includes messages that I’m fairly sure are safe. Even my bank doesn’t like me that much.
• When I visit those “risky” web sites I mentioned earlier, I definitely don’t click any links. If anything interests me, I usually open a new tab and do a search.
• I only download programs from the creators website. The same goes for software updates. Only from the program and not a popup on my computer.
• Whenever I install new programs or updates, I carefully check every screen before clicking next. That includes EULAs.
• I never download or install a browser extension, a program or a plug‑in that I didn’t look for. If a website tells me I need to do something special, I do something special. I leave the site.
• I disable auto‑run on all my drives.
• I use a password manager.
• I never, ever click links on social media sites (especially Facebook).
Stay safe on the internet. Use common sense. Try not to believe. Trust no one.
That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading.