Most often, the act of Phishing and the band Phish have nothing to do with each other however, there is a connection to be drawn. And while we are sure there are at least a few cybercriminals rocking mumus while conducting their malicious deeds, that is not the connection we are talking about.
In an interview published with the New York Times in 2019, band member and guitarist Trey Anastasio got candid about a few aspects of both his personal and professional life. An interesting point was made when Anastasio was asked how he felt about the ‘bigness’ Phish has achieved. He responded ‘Look, people came from the beginning, but the bigness existed outside of my personal sphere. I still don’t believe it’s that big…I’ve gotten comfortable with the bigness now because we have a healthy understanding of what’s real, but it was tricky for a while.’
He goes on to describe how the sense of pride and accomplishment seem to lessen at every show to the point where he was questioning, ‘was that even good?’ Even with the wavering, Phish continues to bring venues to life across the country and retains an insanely dedicated base of fan members.
While we are not star musicians, we still understand how you can lose perspective when immersed too heavily in anything. Recently, we have been bombarded with news of ransomware, data breaches, and other large scale cyber crimes but some have almost forgotten about a primary source of data loss: Phishing.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month because cybercrime is spooky
If you follow CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) or Vodigy on social media, you may already know that CISA is spending the month of October raising awareness for Cybersecurity. Cybercrime is ever on the rise as companies grow, move, or overhaul their infrastructure to account for employees permanently working remotely.
This week’s focus centers around aggressively ‘Phighting the Phish!’ We are a reminded of a few important details in in keeping your data safe, let’s dive in.
Great news! It’s a scam…
Cybercriminals love to exploit just about everything to phish the information they want. This includes everything from an email pretending your loved one needs to be bailed out of jail to exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before you hit reply on that email, always take a moment to double check you know exactly who you are sending your information to and why. In the end, giving the persons or institution a phone call just might be your best bet to make an informed decision.
However, there is still a long list of schemes that will almost always be scams. They include classics like: ‘The Nigerian Prince’ a ruse requesting a small payment in return for a large reward, “Death of a Long Lost Relative” a distant relation has died childless and leaves you their fortune, or the simple “You’ve Won! Click below to claim your prize!“. The list goes on for miles and as always, the promise is way too good to be true.
If it doesn’t look right, don’t touch it
When it comes down to it, relying on your good ol’ gut instinct when it comes to weirdly worded emails or funny looking websites is going to be your best bet. Items asking you to confirm important information or login pages that don’t quite look right are red herrings. Back away to safety and give things a second look.
We’re all connected
In the end, any time you are connected to the internet you are at risk. By doing things such as enabling MFA (Multifactor Authentication), changing up your passwords, or avoiding free wi-fi from unknown sources will do you a world of good in terms of data safety.
Do not get comfy either! A phishing attempt can happen at anytime or anywhere. Always be on the lookout so you don’t fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
Vodigy, always keeping those hooks out of the water!
Vodigy technologies is dedicated to the success of your business. We excel in providing top-notch security for SMBs across the Twin Cities and of course, defend against Phishing.
Reach out today to speak with our knowledgeable staff and schedule your free technology assessment.
For additional CISA resources regarding Phishing, check out the links below:
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Resources
Phishing Tips
