Cautions about teleworking

The fact that millions of people around the world work at a distance has created an environment susceptible to attempted theft of private information from businesses.Video conferencing platforms are therefore currently being targeted by cybercriminals.

The increased use of these platforms, including Zoom, has caught the attention of hackers, who have quickly found a way to detect and enter active meetings, having access to everything that is said. One international cyber security company has found that in recent weeks there has been a large increase in domain registrations including the word "Zoom": 1700 since the beginning of the year, 25% of them in the last week alone. 

With millions of people around the world working at a distance due to the covid-19 pandemic, Zoom has become a daily companion. This videoconference program, created in 2011 by a Chinese citizen who emigrated to the United States, allows up to 500 people to gather in "the same room". In Portugal, it has become an essential tool for remote education. From the first cycle to higher education, millions of students sit every day in front of the computer to follow their classes through Zoom. Among the companies, it´s enough to say that it is used by more than 60% of Fortune 500 companies.

The secret is still the soul of the business

With so much business to be done virtually and digitally, there are some security measures that it is essential to maintain. E-mails from unknown senders, especially if they offer discounts, are always to be suspected. The most prudent thing is not to open unknown attachments or click on links. It is also essential to be careful with similar domains and email,s or websites with misspellings.

When you shop, make sure you´re buying goods from a secure source and don´t get carried away by promotional links, that promise you everything at no cost. It´s good to remember that 90% of cyber attacks start with a "phishing" campaign, an online fraud technique through which computer criminals try to "fish" for passwords and personal information.

Being the most pirated at the moment, Zoom is not, however, the only target of hacking. New phishing sites have been discovered for all major communication applications, including Google´s "Classroom".

Text: Rainer Beck

Source: Radio Renascence