Scamming

Christmas time brings joy, celebration, and an uptick in online shopping and digital activity.  Unfortunately, it also marks a peak time for cyber criminals looking to exploit the festive rush as Marketing Co-ordinator Abbey Wright explains. Here’s a deep dive into common cyber threats during Christmas and practical ways to protect yourself. Phishing emails are …

Fraudsters work overtime during the Christmas period when they know we are more susceptible to scam emails and text messages, writes Office Supervisor Cheryl Smitham. We’ve put together some straightforward advice that could save your Christmas. If you receive an unexpected email, then ask yourself: Is the email addressed to you by name? Or is …

In late October it was reported that during Liz Truss’s tenure as foreign secretary her smart phone was hacked, allegedly by Russian intelligence forces, writes Cyber Security apprentice Tom Boughton. Sensitive information relating to Liz Truss and the UK Government, including private conversations between herself and other politicians such as Boris Johnson and Kwasi Kwarteng, …

By Hannah Kelly Cyber Security Technologist COVID scammers posing as the NHS are targeting people via text and offering the vaccine for cash. The texts are also offering recipients the chance to register for vaccination, which is catching people out especially the elderly and vulnerable. The NHS would never ask or require you to prove …

By Jason McNicholas Cyber Security Technologist As live sports return to our televisions and streaming services, one of the most publicised (and popular) sporting returns is English Football. Due to the real possibility of a second wave of COVID-19, these games are being played behind closed doors in empty stadiums. This means that most fans …

By Euan Henderson Cyber Security Apprentice It’s easy to drop our guard and become vulnerable to online threats while working from home. Thousands of new phishing scams have emerged during the Covid-19 crisis and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is working to remove malicious sites used for phishing and to spread malware. Common scams …

By Jason McNicholas Cyber Security Technologist Over the last few months we have seen a new trend in phishing emails during investigations in our malware lab. These emails will often link to a login page for a common account such as a Microsoft or  Google account. The login pages look identical to the real login …

By Euan Henderson Cyber Security Apprentice Phishing Attacks could fool anyone, especially when targeted at groups who are expecting an important email about funds around this time of year. The Student Loans Company (SLC) has issued a warning about phishing campaigns that happen each September, January and April. In the last two years, it has …

By Euan Henderson Cyber Security Apprentice For most people, the word ‘hacker’ conjures images of hooded loners sitting in darkened rooms focused on lines of codes on a computer screen. You may be surprised to learn that many hackers form part of an Organised Criminal Group (OCG) or ‘Cyber Gang’ with designated roles and even …

By Euan Henderson Cyber Security Apprentice Three controls that should be configured are: Sender Policy Framework (SPF) DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Domain based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) records NCSC recommends the following: That all domains have the SPF and DMARC records in place, regardless of whether the domain is or is not used …