Tomorrow will be the only Friday the 13th of the year, a date culturally associated with bad luck. This day can also be a bait for cybercriminals trying to attack companies as retailers often use themed dates to launch their customer campaigns and fraudsters can take advantage of these opportunities to make new victims.

Cybercrime Friday from the 80s

Last year, the date fell on August 2021. Company pseifthrough its services computer securityfound an increase in fraud attempts of over 120%.

“We have noticed an increase from the previous week, with over 190,000 login attempts blocked from August 1st to 7th. phishing. From August 8 to August 14, there were more than 425 thousand blockings. It should be noted that even the previous week precedes Father’s Day, when cybercriminals also take the opportunity to spread the coup, this growth came in a week Friday the 13th. We cannot say that the growth is related to the date itself, but companies need to always be on the lookout and remember that they are always under the guns of these gangs, ”analyzes PSafe CEO Marco DeMello.

In the 1980s, there were even reports of viruses created specifically for this date, such as one from the 1980s that activated as soon as the computer calendar marked Friday the 13th.

How can companies protect themselves?

Regardless of the date, it is useful to note that protection should be a priority throughout the year. “A recent survey showed that in 2021, more than half of Brazilian companies were attacked by some type of attack. ransomwarewhen companies “stole” their data and must pay a huge ransom to regain control of their system. Such attacks can mean the complete bankruptcy of a solid and consolidated business with just one click,” the CEO emphasizes.

Attacks are coming through phishing or malware, they can log in by any means (SMS, email, fake app, messaging app, etc.) and always log in through an unsecured device. That is why it is so difficult for a person not to fall for the bait at some point, as they become more and more personalized, contain, among other data, the name, CPF or CNPJ, date of birth.

Thus, the lack of protection on devices is the main and most serious drawback of digital security. Thus, the only form of protection is to invest in a solution computer security.

Other Safety Tips

• In addition to an installed security solution, avoid clicking on links from unknown sources, especially links shared through messaging apps and social networks;
• Get into the habit of questioning the information shared on the Internet and never share sensitive information about links of dubious origin;
• Always try to confirm the accuracy of the information on the official pages and websites of brands.

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