Forget phishing and ransomware for a minute. There are a handful of sneaky cybersecurity threats that you may not have thought of. These devious infiltrators are capable of doing as much damage as a Trojan or a severe denial-of-service attack. Here they are:
Dangerous USBs
Specially engineered USBs are capable of releasing a devastating payload when plugged in. They can carry disguised viruses as easily as email attachments do. As a simple rule of thumb, don’t attach a USB drive unless you know where it’s from. Also, if you’re unsure about files on a USB, do a virus scan first.
Dangerous Add-ons
Browser extensions such as Instagram, WhatsApp and LastPass greatly increase the functionality of web browsing. But remember that any add-on has the privilege of seeing everything that you do online. A malicious browser extension can sell and sell your browsing data, install unwanted software and harass you with pop-up advertising. Keep extensions to a minimum and only use ones that are familiar and trustworthy.
Don’t Let Your Photos Leak
People can easily glean information from pictures that you upload to social media channels, particularly the places where you live and work. Facebook, Instagram and Google Photos automatically strip out the location data saved with photos. When people know where you work or on which road you live, they can use this information to implement identity scams, get past security questions on your online accounts and worse still, visit you in person.
Dangerous Charging Cables
This might be far-fetched but fake lightning cables are capable of giving hackers remote access once they are plugged in. The cable charges as it should but also contains a wireless hotspot that a hacker can connect to. Once connected they can run commands and methodically go through your files. Only use the cables that come with your devices and as with USBs, don’t assume that any old cable lying around is legitimate.
