Page 42 - Cyber Defense eMagazine February 2024

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2. Uninstall Unused Apps – One of the simplest ways to keep your information secure is to uninstall
unused apps from your smart devices. Even if apps are legitimate, many of them have default
privacy settings that access your data and could potentially put you at risk if the app’s company
is part of a breach. Be sure to take advantage of your smart device’s settings that may allow you
to set up automatic app cleanup.

3. Don’t Trust Unsolicited Phone Calls – Fraudulent phone calls, known as vishing, are still a
popular phishing method of threat actors. If you receive an unsolicited phone call asking for private
or financial information, simply hang up. If you think the call is legitimate you should hang up and
call back a verified number. While these attacks still happen, the good news is many smartphones
have technology dedicated to outing potential scams before your phone rings at all.

4. Stop Blindly Scanning QR Codes – One of the odd trends of the pandemic was the resurgence
of QR codes as conveniently contactless methods of viewing information such as restaurant
menus. Unfortunately, phishing attacks via QR codes (known as quishing) are on the rise, to the
tune of 587% between August and September of 2023. QR codes are useful but be cautious and
verify the domain associated with a QR code before you scan it. Remember, anybody can make
a QR code, especially those with malicious intent.

5. Regularly Check if Your Information is Part of a Breach – Chances are your information has
been part of a breach in recent years. If so, you may have received an email or letter with a vague
explanation of the breach and an offer for free credit monitoring, but we recommend being
proactive by using verified resources, such as https://haveibeenpwned.com, to find out if your
information is exposed. If your data is out there, be sure to check your credit report, change
passwords and check the breached party’s website for additional resources.

Those are our cybersecurity resolutions for the new year, what are yours?

About the Author

Mr. Spears has over 18 years of experience within the IT and Cybersecurity
disciplines. He has spent his career leading dynamic teams on both small- and
enterprise-level projects. He has previously served as Chief Technology Officer,
Cyber Security Training Coordinator and in other related positions for employers
in the higher education sector and, most recently, for the U.S. Navy. He will
serve a broad array of Schneider Downs’ cybersecurity clients in similar
capacities.

Mr. Spears received his Bachelor of Science in Technology from Bowling Green State University and his
Masters of Science in Information Assurance and Security from Capella University.

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