Some say that money is the root of all evil and when talking about bank account cybercrimes the first thing to take care of is your security. While this statement is up for debate, one thing that’s for sure is that bank account hacking is real, and it affects people from across the divide. There are various ways of averting these brute attacks, and one is by installing a positiveSSL wildcard on your website.
This certificate has numerous benefits to suit your needs. This article seeks to expound on the various cybercrimes targeting bank accounts and the multiple ways of preventing them.
Quick Overlook
Most Popular Bank Account Cybercrimes and Their Mechanisms
-
Spyware
This is a very witty method deployed by hackers worldwide. It involves tricking unsuspecting victims into downloading spyware in the form of downloading some applications like instant messenger. Also, some spyware is gotten from emails, and one is tricked into accepting the End User License Agreement.
This sort of software is tough to detect and requires trained personnel to terminate the software. It is mainly used to observe your activities on the internet, obtain your credentials and logins to various accounts, and later use it to strike when you least expect it. It is always good to observe what it is you are downloading.
-
Phishing
This phishing method is very advanced. Attackers use this type of social engineering bank account cybercrime to obtain user data illegally. They can get credit card numbers and login details and use it against you.
This works very simply: an attacker impersonates a trusted entity say like PayPal or Perfect Money, and you proceed to log in thinking it’s your regular account. They will then obtain your details, and the attacker can implement any attack they desire.
Once again, the importance of installing a positive SSL wildcard certificate cannot be overemphasized. It prevents potential hackers from attacking and impersonating your online bank accounts. Thus, client safety is again upheld.
-
Malware
This is any software that is built to compromise the integrity of security systems deployed in computer servers, client computers, and networks. They come in their variety as follows:
- Trojan horse
- Adware
- Worms
- Viruses
And so much more potentially harmful software. Mostly this is deployed directly to computer systems by hackers to corrupt the files on the system.
Additionally, they cause system failure or cause misbehaving of the files. This can be a real pain in the neck for computer users or those who have trusted your online company with personal identifiable information like credit card details. Thus, the need to deploy tight security measures.
-
Ransomware
This is a type of malware that threatens a victim to publicize the data or block access to their data unless you pay a ransom. They deploy this software to potentially harm an individual’s or organization’s reputation if you fail to raise the sum a cybercriminal has defined.
This is glorified blackmail. Imagine how your clients would feel knowing that all their credit card info has been publicized.
-
Identify Theft
This mechanism has many definitions. In order to break it down, it means the intentional use of someone else’s identity to gain a financial benefit or any other benefit associated with a person.
This is experienced in most financial institutions because of the menace that is identity theft. If an individual pose as a beneficiary to a life insurance claim or any other policy in the bank and the bank fails to identify the individual as a phony, the chances or the insurance being paid to the right individual are very slim. Thus, even banks and other associations should be very cautious of fraudsters.
It is, however, not a gloomy affair for this cybercrime. There is a silver lining.
Ways of Preventing Bank Account Cybercrimes
Shop Only from Secure and Well-Known Websites
Good and safe sites often have a green icon of a padlock at the URL bar of the website. What this means is that the site has a secure connection with the browser because a positive SSL wildcard certificate protects it.
This certificate wears many hats but guarding your site against data compromise is just one of them. Also, well-known websites have many shoppers and often have a community support feature that will help you use the site more effectively and with ease. They are also less likely to suffer from brute attacks that impact you financially.
Use Strong Passwords
Passwords are a handy security feature, but you shouldn’t just have a password. A strong password is key to guarding your account. Setting an alphanumeric password is good because it is almost impossible for a hacker to crack into your account and cause damage.
It would help if you combined uppercase and lowercase letters with characters and numbers. Passwords also have a high level of encryption that is impossible to hack into.
Update Your Software
Hackers develop new mechanisms every day to work their way around the security setup of a personal or company account.
Thus, regularly updating software to new, improved versions is very important. It may seem like a small counter move, but it works.
Encrypt Emails
This just means protecting your messages from being read by other people other than you, the intended recipient. It is dependent on public-key cryptography where clients publish a public key.
Others may use the key to encrypt messages to them at the same time retaining private key to decrypt the messages. This is very effective and keeps the bad guys at bay.
Use Private Secured DNS Servers
DNS personifies a phone book of sorts in this narrative. It provides a list of websites to visit when you enter a word in a search engine.
For your browser to connect to the site, it needs a secure connection that’s encrypted to prevent possible brute attacks. These private secured DNS servers are mostly found on the new Android 9 by Google. It prevents these attacks while browsing.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, getting a positive SSL wildcard certificate for your website or company remains one of the best ways to prevent hacking and all related attacks. The certificate comes with various packages that will suit your pocket, so money is not the barrier.
With most bank operations being automated nowadays, cyber-attacks have been on a constant rise, and employing some of the preventative mechanisms could work very well. So, be cautious as you tread with your money on the world wide web.