Objects in Email Not Always What They Appear

Have you received an email from a ‘reputable source’, such as your bank, credit card company, or Paypal account, that notifies you of a password reset or the completion of a successful transaction that you know you didn’t make?  Chances are, you’re the target of Phishing – and not the kind we like here around the Chesapeake Bay.

One quick and easy way to verify if an email like this is legitimate is to give it the Hover Test.   Place your mouse’s onscreen icon over the links in the email – but don’t click!! Instead, look for a small pop-up box to appear which will contain the actual URL of the link, not just what is typed.  Phishers mask the links in the email to make it appear they are going to an actual site, however, the link really points to a fake website setup to capture your precious online data.  Try it with the link below:

http://www.international-house-of-money-bank.com

It’s always a good idea to forward any suspicious emails to your financial institution for verification. If you can find the actual URL of the sender, you can also block, or blacklist, the address in your spam settings as well.

Just like the big rockfish in the bay, know that you don’t always have to take the bait.  Show those scammers it called ‘phishing’; not ‘catching’!

Dosey-Doe and the Google 2-Step

The next time you log in to your Google Account, you’ll likely be prompted to setup your 2-Step Verification Code.  According to Google, “2-step verification drastically reduces the chances of having the personal information in your Google account stolen by someone else. Why? Because hackers would have to not only get your password and your username, they’d have to get a hold of your phone. ”

Makes sense, right?  Although it does cause a bit of consternation as you’ll need to receive Google’s automatic text or robot call each time you use a different computer, the 2-step process is used by more institutions to combat hacking and protect your online life.

So grab your partner, put on that hoop skirt, and do the Google 2-Step!

Is your online “life” safe?

A recent article at ABCNews.com paints a painful picture of security vunerabilities and loopholes that exist at places you’d least expect: Apple and Amazon.  In a bizarre turn of events, hackers are using antiquated technology (aka the ‘telephone’) to commit identity fraud and gain access to users’ account information.

According to the article, a hacker was able to get the billing address of a senior editor at Wired Magazine from public domain registration (another reason to have SPARKS! Domain Privacy!!) and use it to get his credit card number from Amazon.  With the address and last 4 digits of his credit card, the hackster was then able to get the login to the victim’s iCloud account – which was linked to his Google account – which was linked to his Twitter account – and the rest was history.  In a matter of minutes, tweets, emails, files, and family photos rained from the cloud like a derecho. 

This is a lesson.  And, like school, all lessons have homework. Business Insider offers tips on protecting your passwords.  If you do use cloud backup solutions, consider a local backup as well (that’s right – backup your backup).  Hard drive capacities are in the terrabytes now and available for a couple hundred bucks.  Finally, use caution when linking your online and social media accounts.  Although it is convenient to login to sites using your Facebook or Windows Live account, creating unique credentials may save you something much more precious – your online ‘life’.