Q3 is underway, schools are officially back in session, and it has been a crash course of a Summer when it comes to maintaining the security of your online presence.
From a hack that overwhelmed Google in May to the recent crippling cyberattack of WPP, check out Davidson Belluso’s pick of the top articles and reasons why you should take a minute to double-check the strength of your passwords and the maintenance of your online security, as stated by the best-of-the-biz.
5. Massive Phishing Attack Targets Millions of Gmail Users
In May of 2017, Google announced that they were hit by a Google Docs phishing scam. The damaging code was delivered in any email that appeared to come from someone users already knew. This article recounts the scheme and details how, with control of your Gmail account, scammers can harvest any personal data you’ve ever sent or received in an email. That, in turn, can allow them to generate password-reset requests on a number of other services linked to that email, potentially letting the hackers take over, for example, your Amazon, Facebook or online bank accounts.
4. Cyberattack Paralyzes WPP
In the most recent cyberattack, WPP was thrown into chaos by a hack that, according to an internal Y&R memo, caused the company to suspend work on desktops and PCs. In what was later determined to be a ransomware attack against companies, it had the unfortunate timing of being right in the middle of closing out Q2.
A follow-up article by Advertising Age reports on the state of the company after the attack and urges agencies to remain on guard, stressing the importance to think ahead about what damage could be done with a company’s data if it gets in the wrong hands.
3. Millennial Parents and Their Kids Love Smart Speakers, but Data Privacy Issues Persist
The ever-evolving world of digital marketing is a balancing act for advertisers. A recent article by Ad Week cautions marketers that they will have to be careful about how much targeting they do. According to research conducted from July 10, 2016, through August 10, 2017, 9% of all digital content engagement (views, likes, shares, etc.) around the subject of voice assistants was related to privacy. As this trend develops, it is anticipated that it will evolve into a full-fledged debate about safeguarding kids from possible nefarious data collecting.
2. 5 Things Marketers Should Do After the Next Cyberattack (And There Will Be a Next One)
Advertisers and business professionals are rightfully worried about the risks versus the benefits to their business in the online world. An article by Advertising Age estimated that 40% of companies have been or will be the victim of some sort of cyberattack, but few know what to look for when establishing their website security. In light of the recent worldwide cyberattack, awareness of this sobering reality has encouraged an industry-wide wake-up call.
A call that has inspired an unusual level of cross-industry collaboration…
1. Tech Firms Team Up to Take Down ‘WireX’ Android DDoS Botnet
Over half a dozen technology and security companies, some of them competitors, just this week announced a combined effort to dismantle ‘WireX,’ a massive hacking effort comprising tens of thousands of hacked mobile devices that was used this month to launch a series of massive cyber attacks. According to a member of this collaboration: “…those of us who are empowered to dismantle these schemes can learn much more about them than would otherwise be possible,” The representative goes on to say, “There is no shame in asking for help. There are few benefits to being secretive and numerous benefits to being forthcoming.”
In fact, Google has also joined a number of similar industry initiatives. Even beginning to issue refunds to advertisers and planning new safeguards against fraudulent traffic.
