JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The world of online security is becoming an issue for more Americans with more and more computer hackers targeting your system. There is a company based in Mandarin that intentionally hacks into companies' computer systems to test network security.
"We are hired by companies to test security to their systems, basically ethical hacking," Kevin Johnson with the company Secure Ideas told News4Jax. "We act as a bad guy and then we determine where the flaws are, where the problems are, and we tell them how to fix it. So we basically get hired by companies to break in."
Johnson says his company has never been completely kept out of a system. He warns actual malicious hackers will use things like fake Facebook and email links to get you to sign in.
"We would email it them. What we typically do, we have a set of targets, let's say, 20 people in the company and we would send that email out to 20 people and then we would keep track of who clicked it," he said.
Hackers use common tactics, says Johnson, like switching up 1's, L's and I's because they all look similar on a keyboard. They do this with fake web links that look like they're from a trusted company. Sometimes these scammers cause you to sign into a bogus account and Johnson says at that point, they can have full access to your system.
"So one of the ideas, a very common attack we do, is called fishing. With fishing you get an email or link via social network that pretends to be something. So it might be a LinkedIn invite or it might be an Expedia receipt or something like that, and
if you click that link instead of going where you thought it was going, your bank, Expedia, LinkedIn, it actually goes out to a malicious website," said Johnson. "It's impossible to keep an attacker completely out. If an attacker wants to get into your system, they will. So our job is to keep them out as long as we can and protect what we can."
Johnson adds that most people aren't paying much attention.
"Most people are used to, I got an email from my bank that says, 'There is a problem with my account. Click that link, let me find out.' That's what most people, people fall for it all the time," he said.
News4Jax also spoke with James Jard
ine. He used to work with Secure Ideas and now teaches computer users how to stay safe. Jardine says most links are not designed to scam you, but he warns everyone to be cautious when clicking on a link.
"A lot comes through fishing campaigns," warned Jardine. "Make sure you check the link, make sure that it is up to date. That it is the link you're going to. A lot of times the attackers will throw in numbers or letters and trick you with the URL."
There are no ways to protect your computer completely but you can do a lot to minimize risk to your system. Some steps to protect yourself include:
- Don't click on links from unknown or suspicious looking.
- Before clicking on links, hover your mouse over the link and see if the web address matches. Scams or malware will often be random letters and numbers.
- Be cautious if ever asked to sign into email or Facebook on a website.
- Always install your updates and patches on your computer recommended by the manufacturer.
- Don't click on links in an email from a company. Instead find the company's website and contact them, potentially by phone, to determine if the email is legitimate.
- If you click on a suspicious email and your computer gets infected, get it checked out by a professional.
For additional ways to protect yourself against hackers, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team has helpful information on its website.