How To Fight Cybercrime While Sharing Our Contact Details Online
For most, it is normal to share at least a single photograph online per week, for some it is a big NO.
I know people who haven’t uploaded a single personal file online for at least 10 years, and some that cannot do without sharing a new photo on Instagram everyday. But, not even this kind of behavior online can help if you still share your contact details.
We’re Freelance Writers, Digital Marketers, Entrepreneurs, IT professionals, Video Editors, and the list goes on. Today, we do better online, the traditional way still works for some of us but the internet has its advantages. So, for this to happen we need a website, and or at least an email address which we can share with anyone willing to do business with us. And, this is the problem which unfortunately I bring no solution to.
Can We Control Who Emails Us?
Not really, spam goes to your spam folder, that’s clear but when do you get to determine whether or not it’s spam before reading the mail — that’s if it looks legit enough to fall into your inbox.
You may receive an email with no suspicious links at all, with apparently the best intentions but it could be something else, after all that’s what hackers are very well known for right? I hope you’re aware that not every hacker wears a black or gray hat. But, when people simply use the term hacker alone usually people expect something bad, or rather a black hat attitude which is exactly what we’re dealing with here.
Do you remember what happened on Twitter?
Famous profile names were used to lead people astray, and make believe that by sharing bitcoin they’d get double the amount in return. For some, this looked legit as these were verified accounts which included Elon Musk, Kanye West, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama, Donald Trump wasn’t hit due to previous attempts his account is well protected at least comparing to others.
This looked legit for some, after all they used the best of names we easily recognize anywhere for their dirty work. But, not everyone falls for this type of BS. If you’ve worked for every penny you make all your life you know things don’t come this easy.
Can We Protect Ourselves Even If Our Emails Remain Public?
Sure! This has all to do with how we use our emails, and devices. I received an email a couple of months ago and the subject line said “ Can We Talk, It’s Very Important “ . And, guess what? The was no “body” (and, no this is not a murder case) but, rather an attachment “jpeg” asking if I had the time to talk, instead of actually text.
It won’t always be an image file, it can sometimes be a zip file, a program, a song, or even a short video clip which is nothing more than an infected file ready to take over or corrupt some files on your system.
So, before using such files if you believe the source is worth your trust then at least scan the files with your favorite antivirus program or use virus-total which is free and easy to use, you can check my simple guide on Virus total here.
What Can People Do With Your Email Address?
In my experience it would be difficult to say what people cannot do with an email address instead.
— People can send you an email using your email address (Obviously).
— People can find out where you work through your email if it’s from your company (using the domain name).
— People can find out your location through your email, at least the country you live in if they look you up, or the company’s in this case.
— People can get to your name, friends, family and more if they do it correctly. I might put this into detail in a different post. For the purposes of this post we’ll only go this far.
Social Media Makes Us Vulnerable
Do Hacks Fail? I Opened A Corrupt File And Nothing Happened
There’s a simple explanation to this or maybe a few, let’s go through them accordingly.
- You Used The Wrong Device
Hacks fail, and black hat hackers do too. Especially when the homework isn’t done right. But, for this case lucky you for using the wrong device.
You received a file that is not supported by your device or operating system because it was probably meant for your windows machine (or whatever operating system you have on your PC) . This is very common, the payload (malicious code) behind the file was probably meant for your computer lucky you for using your android device.
If the attachment is an exe file then the so called program was for your windows computer so it won’t be effective on your phone. Alternatively, if you log in to your email account on your windows machine and try to install the exe file then you’ll probably be prompted with the installation wizard, and if you install well you already know what awaits you.
- You Received an Unsupported File
This one isn’t very different from the first example. You simply received a file for a different device or operating system. The hacker might have believed that you use a Windows computer, or rather the windows OS only to find that you use a Linux Distribution. So, the payload won’t work and you won’t be able to install the program because it was meant for a different operating system. The same way that android apps won’t work on an iPhone and the other way around. Hope this was clear.
There are obviously more reasons, some more complex, others may involve mistakes from the hacker as well, in some cases it is only a prank but you just never know.
If you need a hand with a word or two let me know let’s talk about it, reach out send me a message [email protected]. Be aware, be prepared secure yourself online. At all times. Make everyday a Cyber Security awareness day.
This was previously published on Medium https://samwritessecurity.medium.com/how-to-fight-cybercrime-while-sharing-our-contact-details-online-3d3de882df02
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