Preventing Online Scams: Key Steps to Stay Safe

Quick Summary:

• The article discusses how humans are cognitively predisposed to fall prey to internet scams like phishing emails and ransomware attacks.
• A prominent example cited is the Darkside ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, where hackers exploited an employee account to disrupt oil supplies in the eastern U.S.,costing $4.4 million in ransom payments.
• Studies show that emotional triggers, cognitive overload, and readiness potential in our brains make us vulnerable to clicking malicious links unknowingly before conscious decisions occur.
• Positive emotions can increase risk-taking behaviors, as evidenced by studies on gambling scenarios linked closely with phishing tactics.
• High volumes of online information or “cognitive overload” worsen decision-making abilities; individuals facing information saturation tend to regret impulsive actions later.
• Personalized cyberattacks like spear-phishing (high customization using personal data) significantly increase vulnerability-victims are three times more likely to fall for targeted emails compared with generic attacks.
• The article highlights solutions such as improved cybersecurity awareness programs and services provided by data privacy companies like Incogni. These services aim to suppress personal information from marketing lists and diminish spam overload.

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Indian Opinion analysis:
India’s advancing digital change has exposed millions of its citizens-and organizations-to growing threats from cybercrime.While the article primarily reflects on global trends, its insights directly resonate with India’s challenges under expanding reliance on online platforms post-COVID. Phishing scams have already impacted various Indian government entities and corporations; understanding cognitive vulnerabilities outlined in this study offers avenues for strengthening national cybersecurity measures.

Efforts such as anti-phishing trainings could become integral within India’s Digital India initiative alongside enforcing robust frameworks akin to Europe’s GDPR for limiting access of personal identifiable databases sold commercially abroad localizing better strategies/practices safeguards