An easy-to-read guide to protecting your digital life and your family online The rise of new technologies in our lives, which has taken us from powerful mobile phones to fitness trackers and smart appliances in under a decade, has also raised the need for everyone who uses these to protect themselves from cyber scams and hackers.  Every new device and online service you use that improves your life also opens new doors for attackers looking to discover your passwords, banking accounts, personal photos, and anything else you want to keep secret. In Cyber Smart, author Bart McDonough uses his extensive cybersecurity experience speaking at conferences for the FBI, major financial institutions, and other clients to answer the most common question he hears: “How can I protect myself at home, on a personal level, away from the office?” McDonough knows cybersecurity and online privacy are daunting to the average person so Cyber Smart simplifies online good hygiene with five simple “Brilliance in the Basics” habits anyone can learn. With those habits and his careful debunking of common cybersecurity myths you’ll be able to protect yourself and your family from: Identify theft Compromising your children Lost money Lost access to email and social media accounts Digital security is one of the most important, and least understood, aspects of our daily lives. But it doesn’t have to be. Thanks to its clear instruction, friendly tone, and practical strategies, Cyber Smart will help you rest more easily, knowing you and your family are protected from digital attack.

Table of Contents:
Foreword xxiii Introduction xxv I Setting the Stage 1 1 Overview of Cyber Risks 3 Real Estate Wire Transfer Fraud Prevention Steps 5 If You’re a Victim of Wire Transfer Fraud 6 Cyber-Risk Statistics 6 Breaches, Cyberattacks, and Hacks—Oh My! 8 Notes 9 2 Attackers 11 The Adversary 13 Nation-State Attackers 14 Criminal Organizations 16 Terrorist Organizations 17 Bad Actors Who Got Caught 17 Notes 21 3 Attack Targets and Goals 23 How Attackers Get Your Money 24 What Attackers Do with Your Money 24 How Attackers Get Your Credentials 25 What Attackers Do with Your Credentials 25 How Attackers Get Your PII 26 What Attackers Do with Your PII 26 How Attackers Get Your Computing Resources 27 What Attackers Do with Your Computing Resources 27 Notes 29 4 Attack Methods 31 Social Engineering 32 Phishing 33 Phishing Attacks 33 Email Phishing 34 Spear Phishing 35 Whaling 37 Email Compromise 38 Clone Phishing 39 Voice Phishing 40 SMS Phishing 41 Pretexting 42 Malware 43 Cryptomining Malware and Cryptojacking 43 Cryptomining 43 Cryptojacking 44 Ransomware 45 Spyware 46 Scareware 47 Adware 47 Trojans 48 Wi-Fi Network Hacking 49 Scams 50 Fake Technical Support 51 Government Agency Impersonation 52 The Grandparent Scam 53 Virtual Kidnapping Extortion 53 Unpaid Utility Bill Scams 54 Online Dating Scams 54 Job Scams 56 Charity Scams 58 Robocalling Scams 58 Notes 61 5 Attack Chain 65 Attack Chain Phases 67 Links in the Attack Chain 68 Notes 70 6 Attack Vectors 71 Email   72 Texting 73 Phone Calls 75 Websites 76 Software 78 USB Key 78 Wi-Fi 79 Notes 81 7 Brilliance in the Basics 83 Brilliance 1: Update Your Devices 84 Brilliance 2: Enable Two-Factor Authentication 85 Brilliance 3: Use a Password Manager 86 Brilliance 4: Install and Update Antivirus Software 87 Brilliance 5: Back Up Your Data 89 Notes   90 8 Mistakes 91 Being the Source of a Data Breach 92 Mixing Work and Personal Information 93 Notes 94 9 Incident Response 95 Falling for a Phishing Attack 96 Getting Infected with Malware 98 Getting Infected with Ransomware 100 Email Compromise 102 II Specific Recommendations 105 10 Protecting Your Identity 107 Methods of Identity Theft 108 How to Check Whether Your PII is Exposed 110 Identity Monitoring Services 111 Recommendations: Protecting Your Credit Identity 112 Other Types of Identity Theft 114 Medical Identity Theft 114 Recommendations: Protecting Your Medical Identity 117 Military Personnel Identity Theft 118 Recommendations: Protecting Your Identity While in the Military 118 Senior Citizen Identity Theft 119 Recommendations: Protecting the Identities of Senior Citizens 120 Notes 122 11 Protecting Your Children 125 The Growing Problem of Child Identity Theft 127 Recommendations: Protecting Your Child’s Identity 128 Protecting Your Child on the Computer 129 Smart Toy Risks 131 Recommendations: Protecting Smart Toys 133 Recommendations: Protecting Your Children Online 135 Notes 136 12 Protecting Your Money 137 Home Buyer Wire Transfer Fraud 138 Home Equity Wire Transfer Fraud 139 IRS Impersonation Fraud 140 Credit Card Fraud 141 Gift Card Fraud 143 Card Skimmer Fraud 144 Scams Targeting the Unbanked and Underbanked 145 Recommendations: Protecting Your Money 146 Notes 149 13 Protecting Your Email 151 Yahoo Data Breach 152 The Value of a Hacked Email Account 153 The Challenge of Email Privacy 154 Recommendations: Protecting Your Email 155 Notes 158 14 Protecting Your Files 159 Threats to Your Files 160 Threats to Your Files Not Caused by Bad Actors 161 Threats to Your Files Caused by Bad Actors 161 Cloud Storage vs Local Storage 161 Your Cloud File Storage Responsibilities 162 Your Local File Storage Responsibilities 162 Finding the Right Cloud Provider 163 Cloud Storage Doesn’t Equal File Backups 163 Risks of Using Only an External Hard Drive 164 Effective File Management 164 Recommendations: Protecting Your Files 165 Notes 168 15 Protecting Your Social Media 169 Why Bad Actors Love Social Media 171 Twitter: A Bad Actor’s Paradise 172 How Third Parties Mine Your Social Media Data 173 Recommendations: Protecting Your Social Media 176 Notes 178 16 Protecting Your Website Access and Passwords 179 Password Hashing Slows Down Bad Actors 180 Password Reuse Fuels Credential Stuffing 181 The Great Password Problem 182 Effective Password Management 184 Password Creation Formula 185 Password Creation Mistakes 186 Recommendations: Protecting Your Website Access and Passwords 187 Notes 191 17 Protecting Your Computer 193 The Rising Threat of Cryptojacking: The Illegal Form of Cryptomining 195 Cryptomining Using Web Visitors’ CPU Resources 196 Donating CPU Resources for Good 198 Recommendations: Protecting Your Computer 198 Notes 201 18 Protecting Your Mobile Devices 203 Protect Against Mobile Port-Out Scams 206 Mobile Malware 208 iPhone vs  Android Security 209 Device Loss and Theft 210 Recommendations: Protecting Your Mobile Devices 211 Notes 215 19 Protecting Your Home Wi-Fi 217 Threats Against Your Home Wi-Fi Network 219 Recommendations: Protecting Your Home Wi-Fi 221 Notes 224 20 Protecting Your IoT Devices   225 Threats Against IoT Devices 227 IoT Privacy Issues 229 Smart Homes 230 Recommendations: Protecting Your IoT Devices 234 Notes 236 21 Protecting Your Information When Traveling 237 Public Wi-Fi Dangers 239 General Travel Dangers 241 Recommendations: Protecting Your Information When Traveling (General) 243 Nation-State Travel Dangers 245 Recommendations: Protecting Your Information When Traveling Abroad 246 Notes 249 Index 251