🔸 How Do You Prevent Hacking? 

Data breaches, leaked passwords, and devious new scams have empowered hackers more than ever — putting nearly everyone’s devices, data, and online accounts at risk. 

If cybercriminals gain access to your online accounts, they can search for sensitive information like your banking details or passwords, impersonate you and scam your followers, and even empty your bank account or use your linked credit cards for fraud. 

🔸 How Do You Get Hacked? 7 Risks and Vulnerabilities

Hacking occurs when cybercriminals gain unauthorized access to your devices, data, or online accounts — enabling them to find and exploit your personal and financial information.  

Hackers have a multitude of tools and techniques to target you. While some online scammers use malware and device vulnerabilities to gain access to your data, others target human vulnerabilities through phishing scams and other social engineering techniques. 

In other words, hackers can either hack your device or they can hack your identity.  

Here are the biggest hacking risks facing Americans today:

🔺Weak or leaked passwords (especially after data breaches). Online services store everything from your passwords to your Social Security number (SSN), bank account details, and credit card numbers. If you use weak passwords or your credentials are compromised in a data breach, this can give hackers access to any sensitive personal data you’ve entrusted to an online account.  

🔺 Phishing emails, texts, and other messages. Fraudsters impersonate well-known organizations and send messages that trick you into giving up sensitive information, clicking on malicious links, or calling scammers directly. 

🔺 Fake websites that steal your credentials. Many scams seek to redirect you to fake websites in hopes that you'll enter your passwords or payment details. These malicious sites often mimic login pages for your bank, or companies such as Amazon and Walmart.

🔺 Vulnerabilities in outdated software. Software updates patch security flaws and vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. The longer you delay an update, the longer your web browsers and operating systems remain at risk.

🔺 Malicious apps and other viruses on your phone, tablet, or computer. Malicious apps may contain malware that steals your information, spyware that runs surveillance on your online activities, or viruses that can disable your device security.

🔺 Data entered over unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Hackers can access your home network’s router — or spy on you when you use public Wi-Fi (such as at coffee shops, hotels, or airports). Once a network is infiltrated, any connected devices can be compromised.

🔺 Oversharing online. Any information you share online can be used to hack you. Cybercriminals can extract information found on public social media accounts, in Google searches, and via your online footprint to tailor their attacks or guess your passwords and security questions.

🔸 17 Ways To Prevent Hacking and Protect Yourself From Hackers

1. Use strong and unique passwords

2. Store your passwords in a password manager

3. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)  

4. Use an authenticator app for 2FA

5. Make sure you have a secure backup email and phone number

6. Learn to spot the warning signs of a phishing scam

7. Don’t click on links in suspicious emails

8. Use Safe Browsing tools

9. Keep your software updated

10. Use a virtual private network (VPN)

11. Secure your devices with digital security tools

12. Encrypt your messages, files, and emails

13. Don’t jailbreak your phone

14. Update your social media privacy settings 

15. Scrub your personal information from online sources

16. Delete old or unused accounts and apps

17. Set up fraud and identity monitoring alerts

Hackers rely on the expectation that you will slip up, leading to an opportunity for them to gain access to your devices and data. But with a few proactive steps and some regular monitoring and updates, you can keep yourself — and your personal information — safe. 

🔸 7 Ways To Prevent Scams and Protect Yourself From Scammers

1. Fake websites: Bogus sites which feature fake testimonials and crypto jargon promising massive, guaranteed returns, provided you keep investing.

2. Virtual Ponzi schemes: Cryptocurrency criminals promote non-existent opportunities to invest in digital currencies and create the illusion of huge returns by paying off old investors with new investors’ money. One scam operation, BitClub Network, raised more than $700 million before its perpetrators were indicted in December 2019.

3. "Celebrity" endorsements: Scammers pose online as billionaires or well-known names who promise to multiply your investment in a virtual currency but instead steal what you send. They may also use messaging apps or chat rooms to start rumours that a famous businessperson is backing a specific cryptocurrency. Once they have encouraged investors to buy and driven up the price, the scammers sell their stake, and the currency reduces in value.

4. Romance scams: The FBI warns of a trend in online dating scams, where tricksters persuade people they meet on dating apps or social media to invest or trade in virtual currencies. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Centre fielded more than 1,800 reports of crypto-focused romance scams in the first seven months of 2021, with losses reaching $133 million.

5. Phishing emails: There are several types of phishing. One of the most common involves the use of phishing emails that try to trick you into downloading an infected file or clicking a link that leads you to a malicious website that appears to be legitimate. These emails are particularly dangerous when they imitate a product or service you use frequently.

6. Fake giveaways: Fake giveaways are used to scam you out of your cryptocurrencies by offering something for free in exchange for a small deposit. Typically, scammers will ask you to send funds to a bitcoin address first so you can receive more bitcoins in return (e.g., "send 0.1 BTC to receive 0.5 BTC"). But if you make these bitcoin transactions, you won't receive anything and will never see your funds again.

7. Fake exchanges: As the name suggests, fake exchanges are fraudulent copies of legitimate crypto exchanges. Typically, these scams will be presented as mobile apps, but you may also find them as desktop applications or fake websites. You have to be careful because some fake exchanges are very similar to the original ones. They may look legitimate at first glance, but their goal is to steal your money.

Otherwise, fraudsters may pose as legitimate virtual currency traders or set up bogus exchanges to trick people into giving them money. Another crypto scam involves fraudulent sales pitches for individual retirement accounts in cryptocurrencies. Then there is straightforward cryptocurrency hacking, where criminals break into the digital wallets where people store their virtual currency to steal it.

🔸 Is cryptocurrency safe?

Cryptocurrencies are usually built using blockchain technology. Blockchain describes the way transactions are recorded into "blocks" and time stamped. It's a fairly complex, technical process, but the result is a digital ledger of cryptocurrency transactions that's hard for hackers to tamper with.

In addition, transactions require a two-factor authentication process. For instance, you might be asked to enter a username and password to start a transaction. Then, you might have to enter an authentication code sent via text to your personal cell phone.

Unlike government-backed money, the value of virtual currencies is driven entirely by supply and demand. This can create wild swings that produce significant gains for investors or big losses. And cryptocurrency investments are subject to far less regulatory protection than traditional financial products like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

#CryptoSecurity