Our friends at KnowBe4, the anti-phishing simulation provider that we recommend to all business clients, has a head's up for us today.
There are some scams evolving as post this using click-bait titles such as:
"See Jeffrey Epstein's Last Words on Video"
With their permission, I am copying and pasting their alert that concerns the sordid Epstein story and plays on our natural curiosity to click what is likely a malicious link.
"This weekend, news broke that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide. Internet criminals are going to exploit this celebrity death in a number of ways, so be careful with anything on anything related to the Epstein death: emails, attachments, any social media (especially Facebook), texts on your phone, anything. There will be a number of scams related to this, so Think Before You Click!"
The KnowBe4 piece reminds us celebrity deaths are oft exploited by the bad guys because such news tugs emotional strings that raise the probability of a high click rate.
"Celebrities, Money, Mystery, and conspiracy theories. You have to warn your users right away that a series of scams are underway using the Epstein death as social engineering tactic."
For our corporate clients using KnowBe4 to keep their staff on their toes, there are two templates in the Current Events campaign that we suggest you send to all employees immediately:
- FOX News: Epstein Death Not A Suicide
- NBC News: Last Words: Jeffrey Epstein Suicide Confession
Ransomware up 365% between Q2'18 and Q2'19.
Malware is on the rise and as we posted in our August letter, ransomware is making billions for criminals and thugs around the world. And it is expected to continue getting worse as criminal syndicates are scaling their exploits with "cybercrime-as-a-service" and a "bulletproof" operation. Read more:
https://www.totaldigitalsecurity.com/blog/cybercrime-as-a-service-for-riches-and-retirement
Use these high-profile events to sharpen awareness and use as an example of how we need to think before clicking anything, and with email; when in doubt, delete it out! https://www.techrepublic.com/article/ransomware-attacks-on-businesses-up-365-this-year/
