4 Trends in Cybersecurity Awareness Training You Should Know

NEW YORK, June 8, 2022 (Newswire.com) - iQuanti: As one of the world's fastest-growing fields, cybersecurity and cybercrime constantly shift and evolve to keep up with new techniques and tactics. Here are some of the most common trends in cybersecurity you should know if you want to follow through with security awareness training.

Identity Impersonation

One of the most common forms of infiltration used by cybercriminals is the impersonation of an authority figure. In these scenarios, a cybercriminal will target specific individuals, call or email them, and act as an imposter of their boss, their doctor, their bank, or law enforcement and request personal information.

Once they've obtained your personal information, they will proceed to either ransom it for money or find other ways to exploit your data for personal gain. To watch out for these situations, understand that authority figures, bosses, or law enforcement will not need access to financial information or personal computer accounts.

Physical Media

Another method of cybercriminals is the act of leaving fraudulent physical media, such as USB sticks and hard drives, in the way of their target. Ideally, the victim will pick up the media and try to plug it into their computer to read it. 

Once these dangerous USB drives have access to your computer, they are free to execute malware programs to obtain your personal information. In order to combat this type of cybercrime, you should never try to use a hard drive or USB stick or CD that you can't immediately verify as legitimate. 

Phishing

As with identity impersonation, phishing emails will pretend to be sent by an authority figure or someone appearing to be in trouble. However, phishing scams tend to target larger groups of people and will often try to get you to perform simple tasks such as downloading email attachments.

Mobile Malware

Mobile malware has become another strategy of cybercriminals to obtain personal data and information. Often used in tandem with phishing scams or identity impersonation, mobile malware takes the form of fake apps that will steal information, or it uses "Remote Access Tools" that can often let cybercriminals access your messaging, camera, and phone services.

For mobile malware, the same prevention rules apply. Don't engage with any media or programs that you can't fully verify as legitimate, and do not let people you do not know — even if they claim to be a part of an organization you're familiar with — obtain personal online information such as passwords or usernames.

Guard Your Digital Safety

While you can't fully prevent cybercrime, you should do as much work as you can to understand how cybercriminals can try to steal your data. Along with awareness, you should also focus on safety precautions such as frequent data backup and recovery. With that multi-pronged approach, you tackle potential cybercrime threats as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Source: iQuanti, Inc.