As many Australians have experienced recently, Genevieve had her data leaked many years ago. She promptly changed her passwords, and even though she received some strange calls and emails, she thought that was the end of it.

Until she received one email that made her check the security of her online accounts.

In 2017, Genevieve had her data leaked from a website she signed up for to view restaurant reviews and menus. Due to the leak, her email address and password were made available for criminals to use. She also had her mobile number leaked in 2021, according to her Google account.

Genevieve can tell when her sensitive information has been posted. “I can tell it’s been posted somewhere when I get a bunch of new scam calls”, she said. “But that happens pretty regularly anyway”.

Genevieve received one disturbing email that prompted her to act. “I got this email that had my full name and my old password in the subject line,” Genevieve said. This email claimed that the scammer had hacked her email, phone and camera. The scammer also claimed they had been watching her through the camera for some time.

After a moment of panic, Genevieve recalled that she had not used that password in years and decided to delete the email.

“But it was really, really scary. I just went into full-blown panic mode.”

After checking her Outlook account sign-in history, she was both terrified and reassured. Genevieve learned that at least a dozen different people were trying to access her account every single day. Thankfully all attempts were unsuccessful.

“It was just so many people, every single day, trying to get in”.

Data Security Becoming Harder

Protecting your data is becoming harder and harder, Nigel Phair from UNSW’s Institute for Cyber Security said. Within the last 6 months, there have been three major data breaches and multiple smaller ones. Genevieve’s data was leaked through shopping and lifestyle apps.

In today’s cyberspace, it’s often a requirement to provide your data when accessing online services.

Be ‘Hyper Alert’

Genevieve has a different password for almost every account and has now enabled Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on all her important accounts. The average person has around 100 passwords, this is why password managers are such useful tools as this will remove the need to remember every single password.

Re-using the same password is extremely dangerous and can lead to a domino effect of account compromise.

As far as the frightening email Genevieve received, Phair said she was right to conclude the threat wasn’t real and that she did the right thing by deleting it. Phair’s advice for dealing with scam emails is: “Ignore them, delete them, don’t engage”.

Report Attempted Scams

It’s vital to report scam attempts so countermeasures can be put in place and data on scams is accurate.

Phishing emails can be reported using your in-built Outlook report button. You can also report cyber scams at ReportCyber, an initiative of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).

ACSC’s website also contains advice on how to deal with scams.

You can also check if your data has been leaked by using the Have I Been Pwned website.

If you have any concerns, please contact our IT Support team for assistance.

Source:

7 News