We need twice the protection

Recently, I have been getting a lot of questionable texts pretending to be from an established financial institution. There will usually be a click-through link. I would usually warn my family about it. At the same time, due to the extreme heat followed by sudden rain, the flu virus is definitely catching up on too many people. I thought of sharing an article that involves protection methods against both these nuisance “virus” affecting us and our families.

According to Yeo Siang Tiong, Kaspersky general manager for Southeast Asia, securing digital wallets is a shared responsibility. Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. The recent multimillion incident involving a top digital wallet provider in the Philippines shows two things: (1) that cybercriminals continue to target fintech institutions; and (2) that securing these convenient technologies is really a shared responsibility.

A recent report shared that phishing attacks were deployed to sneak into the e-wallet accounts of the victims to conduct malicious transfers. Phishing remains one of the most prevalent and damaging threats in the cybersecurity landscape, primarily because it works. Last year, Kaspersky’s solutions blocked 822,536 financial phishing targeting businesses in Southeast Asia, of which nearly 52,914 financial phishing incidents are targeting users in the Philippines.

Clearly, they have seen in this unfortunate incident that the effect of a successful phishing attack can result in identity theft, financial loss, and reputational damage for both individual consumers and businesses. The good thing is that their study showed Filipino respondents are aware of the phishing dangers in digital payments, and that 48 percent who were surveyed believed that antivirus software is required to protect their money and data online.

However, when asked if they have installed an antivirus and/or any other security solutions in the devices they use for online financial transactions, only half (25 percent) said yes. This data is alarming because, despite Filipino respondents’ knowledge of such online threats, the action to install a safety net against this is still lacking. It’s crucial for everyone to understand that everyone has a role to play in cybersecurity.

To prevent more damaging complications from a phishing attack, like data breaches, Kaspersky suggest deploying a comprehensive defensive concept that equips, informs, and guides your team in their fight against the most sophisticated and targeted cyber attacks, like the Kaspersky Extended Detection and Response (XDR) platform. Remind your employees about the basic signs of phishing emails: a dramatic subject line, mistakes and typos, inconsistent sender addresses, and suspicious links. Always report phishing attacks.

If you spot a phishing attack, report it to your IT security department and, if possible, avoid opening the malicious email. This will allow your cybersecurity team to reconfigure anti-spam policies and prevent an incident. Supply your employees with basic cybersecurity knowledge. Since phishing attempts can be confusing, and there’s no guarantee of avoiding all accidental clicks, protect your working devices and your enterprise perimeters with a holistic cybersecurity expert.

The second virus that needs prevention is of course, the influenza virus. Influenza can be a critical illness that can lead to complications, hospitalizations, and even death in high-risk people. Seasonal influenza occurs globally and is estimated to infect symptomatically or asymptomatically in 5 unvaccinated children and 10 unvaccinated adults. In addition, up to 5 million people fall severely ill because of the flu, and every year, up to 650,000 people are at risk of dying globally because of influenza-associated respiratory diseases.

A flu vaccine helps your immune system provide optimal protection against the flu, enabling you to live your life to the fullest. For vaccinated children as young as six months and older adults, a flu shot can be lifesaving. Flu vaccine protection declines over time due to the constant changing of the flu virus strain. Due to this, vaccines are annually reviewed and produced to ensure optimal protection against the current flu virus.

If we want to have a great year ahead, the best time to get your flu shot is before the flu season starts. In the Philippines, influenza viruses circulate year-round with multiple annual peaks. Increased activity is seen from June to November. If you can get vaccinated as early as you can, the better. To know more about the benefits of flu vaccine and to get your flu shot, talk to your health-care provider today.