As every year, the hacker organization known as Anonymous has announced the date it plans on attacking Israel. The #OpIsrael attack which is known to attack groups, individuals and websites that are perceived as Israeli, is scheduled for Friday, the 7th of April 2017 for the fifth consecutive year.
The group behind Anonymous leading this year’s attacks include Anonymous groups from the Arab world along with Western Anonymous groups.
In preparation, we’ve compiled a list of tips for you to follow to try and stay safe from Anonymous.
1. Email Safety
This may seem like an obvious one, but still many people fall victim to cyber-attacks via email. Cybercriminals undergo substantial efforts to tempt people to click on links and open malicious attachments. Be aware of any suspicious-looking messages both on your work email accounts and personal ones. Stay alert and be sure not to open messages, links and attachments from unfamiliar senders or about topics or addresses you are not expecting.
This also applies to any messaging app you use, such as SMS, Facebook, Skype and more.
2. Social Engineering
Social engineering refers to cybercriminals who focus on manipulating people to give up personal and confidential information. It is commonly used for Phishing attempts by sending an email, or a message that appears to come from a legitimate source.
To stay clear of these attacks you must be aware of any irregular activity that may occur to your different social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. Check your accounts and ensure the content on your page/wall is in fact yours. You may comment, engage and take part in your feed activity, but make sure you are in fact familiar with the content and that the activity on your feed, groups or other profiles is normal.
3. Stay on top of your game
It is highly likely that services, databases and social networks you’ve been using over the years has been hacked at some point and that someone may have leaked its data onto the Dark-web – verify that your account information or any details have been released. You can check this by using services such as Have I been pwned.
In the event that you have in fact been hacked, or your information has been leaked – do not panic. Simply make sure you’ve logged out of all your online accounts, change all your passwords and any other personal credentials as soon as possible. You should also consider enabling two-factor authentications logins to enhance safety.
4. Warn your contacts
If you suspect your information has been leaked, be sure to notify your friends and colleagues about irregular activity seen in your online profiles. Furthermore, alarm your company’s network security team to act as soon as possible.
Cybersecurity continues to play an essential part in every business and in the security department’s role, however there are always actions that can be taken on the personal level.
Make sure to follow these guidelines, stay aware of all your online activity and act extra cautious in the days to come. As stated before, in a case of any unusual activity, take charge and notify the relevant people, follow these tips and let’s hope for a safe April 7th!
For more tips on how to stay safe from potential cybersecurity attacks, check out our blog written especially for Spring cleaning: A CISO’s Guidelines for Organizational Spring Cleaning.