Think Twice Before You Click
Through "spoofing," hackers can steal your information without actually having to steal it. Spoofing tricks users into willingly handing over personal information, passwords and login credentials. By falsifying data, hackers can imitate a legitimate source, software or network.
Spoofing may take numerous forms and no address is completely safe. Hackers may spoof IP addresses by taking the IP address of a legitimate host. Wifi networks are likewise vulnerable, as spoofers may emulate a secure network to coax users into inputting usernames and passwords. A hacker may also alter an email URL to make it seem reputable, causing victims to click links without so much as a second thought.
Takeaway: To counteract spoofing, be wary of where you click. Take a few extra seconds before you explore a link to contemplate its source. If something seems slightly odd, it probably is. Once you notice something different about a link, contact your company’s IT expert to reverse the link’s IP address and see if the source is actually reputable.