It is a fact that most cyber attacks are going to require user interaction. Attackers need us to commit some mistake to sneak a virus, steal passwords or personal data. But what do hackers most expect us to do? How are they most likely to achieve their goals of putting our privacy and security at risk?
Hackers look for a bug of the victim
There are more sophisticated attacks than others to infect computers. Hackers often constantly update attack techniques and thus achieve greater success. However, there is a determining factor and that is that the victim can commit some security flaw. And there are mistakes that cybercriminals expect us to make.
Trust any update
One of them is to trust any upgrade or supposed improvement. We all want our computer or mobile to have the latest versions installed, for the browser to run fast and for errors to not appear. But we should not trust any supposed update that we find.
What can happen? Let’s think that we are browsing the Internet and suddenly we see a banner that tells us that we have to update the browser to correct a problem or make it go faster. Many users click and download a so-called update file. But that is exactly what hackers expect and it is actually a virus.
Click on a link you receive by e-mail
One of the most common attack techniques used by hackers is to scam via email. A simple e-mail can end up in the theft of bank accounts, social networks or sneak in a Trojan with which to control the computer or mobile and have access to everything.
And the error in this case is as simple as click on a link. That link may take us to a Phishing page where the attacker will steal the password to enter any account. That link may take us to download some fraudulent file or to any page created only to collect personal data.
Download and install apps without checking anything
Of course, another thing hackers expect is that we trust any file that they have sneaked into the network as if it were really a legitimate program. For example, if we search for an application to edit images, we may end up on a page where we can download certain software but it is actually a scam and contains viruses.
Attackers can even use legitimate programs that they have maliciously modified to scam the victim. That is why it is vital to always download from official sources, such as the Google Play store or the Chrome and Firefox extension stores.
Leave computers without security settings
They also trust that the victim do not configure security correctly router or any other device connected to the network. Especially what is known as the Internet of Things can pose a real security problem, by allowing intruders to access the network or an attacker to slip in some malware.
What we must do in this case is always protect the devices with a good password, configure the security of the antivirus and keep them updated to avoid attacks. It is important to avoid mistakes that benefit attackers.
