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?" 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 Basics" 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.

BART R. McDONOUGH is CEO and Founder of Agio, a hybrid managed IT and cybersecurity services provider specializing in the financial services, health care and payments industries. Bart has experience working in cybersecurity, business development and IT management within the financial services industry. He is often training individuals and their organizations on how to be safe in our increasingly complex digital world. From speaking at conferences hosted by the FBI, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and hundreds of others, he has learned what individuals need to know to be safe online.

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A PROACTIVE GUIDE TO PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY FROM DIGITAL THREATS

With the rise of any technology comes a surge of those who would abuse it for their own gain, and it is up to us to protect ourselves from cyber scams and hackers. Every new device, online service, or social media account you use that improves your life also opens new doors for attackers looking to discover your passwords, banking accounts, personal photos, and all other manner of personal information.

In Cyber Smart, author Bart McDonough uses his extensive cybersecurity experience from working with the FBI, major financial institutions, and celebrities to answer the most common question he hears: "How can I protect myself at home, on a personal level, away from the office?" Cybersecurity and online privacy are daunting issues to the average person. Cyber Smart simplifies good cyber hygiene and debunks common cybersecurity myths to help you protect yourself and your family from identity theft, fraudulent schemes, hacking, and more. It's time to be proactive, and to do so you need to learn:

• How to identify cyber risks.
• The 5 "Brilliance in the Basics" tips to good cyber hygiene.
• What to do if you've already been hacked.
• How to protect your online presence.
• Tips to teach your children to protect them from cyber threats.

Digital security is one of the most important, and least understood, aspects of our daily lives. But it doesn't have to be. Cyber Smart will help you rest more easily, knowing you and your family are protected from digital attack.

Inhalt

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 HacksOh 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