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An easy-to-read guide to protecting your digital life and your family online

The rise of new technologies in our lives, which has taken us from powerful mobile phones to fitness trackers and smart appliances in under a decade, has also raised the need for everyone who uses these to protect themselves from cyber scams and hackers. Every new device and online service you use that improves your life also opens new doors for attackers looking to discover your passwords, banking accounts, personal photos, and anything else you want to keep secret.

In Cyber Smart, author Bart McDonough uses his extensive cybersecurity experience speaking at conferences for the FBI, major financial institutions, and other clients to answer the most common question he hears: "How can I protect myself at home, on a personal level, away from the office?ö McDonough knows cybersecurity and online privacy are daunting to the average person so Cyber Smart simplifies online good hygiene with five simple "Brilliance in the Basicsö habits anyone can learn. With those habits and his careful debunking of common cybersecurity myths you'll be able to protect yourself and your family from:

Identify theft
Compromising your children
Lost money
Lost access to email and social media accounts
Digital security is one of the most important, and least understood, aspects of our daily lives. But it doesn't have to be. Thanks to its clear instruction, friendly tone, and practical strategies, Cyber Smart will help you rest more easily, knowing you and your family are protected from digital attack.



Foreword xxiii

Introduction xxv

I Setting the Stage 1

1 Overview of Cyber Risks 3

Real Estate Wire Transfer Fraud Prevention Steps 5

If You're a Victim of Wire Transfer Fraud 6

Cyber-Risk Statistics 6

Breaches, Cyberattacks, and Hacks-Oh My! 8

Notes 9

2 Attackers 11

The Adversary 13

Nation-State Attackers 14

Criminal Organizations 16

Terrorist Organizations 17

Bad Actors Who Got Caught 17

Notes 21

3 Attack Targets and Goals 23

How Attackers Get Your Money 24

What Attackers Do with Your Money 24

How Attackers Get Your Credentials 25

What Attackers Do with Your Credentials 25

How Attackers Get Your PII 26

What Attackers Do with Your PII 26

How Attackers Get Your Computing Resources 27

What Attackers Do with Your Computing Resources 27

Notes 29

4 Attack Methods 31

Social Engineering 32

Phishing 33

Phishing Attacks 33

Email Phishing 34

Spear Phishing 35

Whaling 37

Email Compromise 38

Clone Phishing 39

Voice Phishing 40

SMS Phishing 41

Pretexting 42

Malware 43

Cryptomining Malware and Cryptojacking 43

Cryptomining 43

Cryptojacking 44

Ransomware 45

Spyware 46

Scareware 47

Adware 47

Trojans 48

Wi-Fi Network Hacking 49

Scams 50

Fake Technical Support 51

Government Agency Impersonation 52

The Grandparent Scam 53

Virtual Kidnapping Extortion 53

Unpaid Utility Bill Scams 54

Online Dating Scams 54

Job Scams 56

Charity Scams 58

Robocalling Scams 58

Notes 61

5 Attack Chain 65

Attack Chain Phases 67

Links in the Attack Chain 68

Notes 70

6 Attack Vectors 71

Email 72

Texting 73

Phone Calls 75

Websites 76

Software 78

USB Key 78

Wi-Fi 79

Notes 81

7 Brilliance in the Basics 83

Brilliance 1: Update Your Devices 84

Brilliance 2: Enable Two-Factor Authentication 85

Brilliance 3: Use a Password Manager 86

Brilliance 4: Install and Update Antivirus Software 87

Brilliance 5: Back Up Your Data 89

Notes 90

8 Mistakes 91

Being the Source of a Data Breach 92

Mixing Work and Personal Information 93

Notes 94

9 Incident Response 95

Falling for a Phishing Attack 96

Getting Infected with Malware 98

Getting Infected with Ransomware 100

Email Compromise 102

II Specific Recommendations 105

10 Protecting Your Identity 107

Methods of Identity Theft 108

How to Check Whether Your PII is Exposed 110

Identity Monitoring Services 111

Recommendations: Protecting Your Credit Identity 112

Other Types of Identity Theft 114

Medical Identity Theft 114

Recommendations: Protecting Your Medical Identity 117

Military Personnel Identity Theft 118

Recommendations: Protecting Your Identity While in the Military 118

Senior Citizen Identity Theft 119

Recommendations: Protecting the Identities of Senior Citizens 120

Notes 122

11 Protecting Your Children 125

The Growing Problem of Child Identity Theft 127

Recommendations: Protecting Your Child's Identity 128

Protecting Your Child on the Computer 129

Smart Toy Risks 131

Recommendations: Protecting Smart Toys 133

Recommendations: Protecting Your Children Online 135

Notes 136

12 Protecting Your Money 137

Home Buyer Wire Transfer Fraud 138

Home Equity Wire Transfer Fraud 139

IRS Impersonation Fraud 140

Credit Card Fraud 141

Gift Card Fraud 143

Card Skimmer Fraud 144

Scams Targeting the Unbanked and Underbanked 145

Recommendations: Protecting Your Money 146

Notes 149

13 Protecting Your Email 151

Yahoo Data Breach 152

The Value of a Hacked Email Account 153

The Challenge of Email Privacy 154

Recommendations: Protecting Your Email 155

Notes 158

14 Protecting Your Files 159

Threats to Your Files 160

Threats to Your Files Not Caused by Bad Actors 161

Threats to Your Files Caused by Bad Actors 161

Cloud Storage vs Local Storage 161

Your Cloud File Storage Responsibilities 162

Your Local File Storage Responsibilities 162

Finding the Right Cloud Provider 163

Cloud Storage Doesn't Equal File Backups 163

Risks of Using Only an External Hard Drive 164

Effective File Management 164

Recommendations: Protecting Your Files 165

Notes 168

15 Protecting Your Social Media 169

Why Bad Actors Love Social Media 171

Twitter: A Bad Actor's Paradise 172

How Third Parties Mine Your Social Media Data 173

Recommendations: Protecting Your Social Media 176

Notes 178

16 Protecting Your Website Access and Passwords 179

Password Hashing Slows Down Bad Actors 180

Password Reuse Fuels Credential Stuffing 181

The Great Password Problem 182

Effective Password Management 184

Password Creation Formula 185

Password Creation Mistakes 186

Recommendations: Protecting Your Website Access and Passwords 187

Notes 191

17 Protecting Your Computer 193

The Rising Threat of Cryptojacking: The Illegal Form of Cryptomining 195

Cryptomining Using Web Visitors' CPU Resources 196

Donating CPU Resources for Good 198

Recommendations: Protecting Your Computer 198

Notes 201

18 Protecting Your Mobile Devices 203

Protect Against Mobile Port-Out Scams 206

Mobile Malware 208

iPhone vs Android Security 209

Device Loss and Theft 210

Recommendations: Protecting Your Mobile Devices 211

Notes