Experts in the cybersecurity field warned about the dangers of email privacy, after Abernathy ISD fell victim to a phishing scam last week.
“Phishing attacks are very popular today because the bad guys can do it from anywhere,” Russ Horn, president of Conetrix said.
Conetrix is an information technology and security firm that services banks and other companies across Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
“[Phishing is] fairly inexpensive and it’s fairly successful,” Horn said.
“When we’re home, we think about it, we lock our doors, we lock our windows, we’re very cautious when people come up to the door,” he added. “We don’t think about it with our technology, Facebook, messaging, and emails.”
Horn suggested to be “cautious before you open (emails).”
“Very rarely should you click on links in an email or open attachments,” he explained. “Those are the two big bad things to do with emails.”
Horn said ultimately “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.”
“You don’t drink and drive,” said I.T. and cybersecurity auditor R. Kinney Williams. He is also president of Yennik Inc., an internet banking audit company.
“You don’t put your password on a sticky note and expect nobody to see it,” Williams explained, “People keep on doing it.”
Horn added that it’s human nature to want to go through emails quickly and respond to them quickly.
“We want to be helpful, we’re curious,” he stated.
For additional details about Abernathy ISD’s phishing situation, click here.
