Ransomware can come is various forms, but phishing is the leading method leveraged by today’s hackers. This widespread and potentially devastating tactic is as old as the World Wide Web, and it’s grown increasingly sophisticated over time. Typically delivered as an urgent email, chat message, web ad, or a website designed to impersonate a genuine system or trusted organization, phishing attempts to trick its victims into clicking a malicious link or downloading an attachment. To best protect yourself from phishing scams, there are a few recommended best practices:

• Never click on links in random emails or chats. If you receive a message with a link you think you need to click, hover over it beforehand to make sure it leads where it says it will.
• Make sure you know who’s sent you something. Some senders try to disguise their emails as legitimate senders, but you can check the “from” field to see who’s really behind that email.
• Keep an eye on online accounts. Regularly logging into your online accounts, even the ones you don’t often use, is imperative for catching any bank or credit card phishing scams in the works.
• Phishing attacks often exploit web browser security loopholes to exploit. Ignoring notifications to update your browser can leave you with vulnerable security holes. Stop clicking “remind me later” and update!

More info: The Future of Outsourced NOC Services