Cyberattaque Bouygues and Air France: how to properly protect your personal data

If you are concerned by the recent data leaks, especially those of Bouygues Telecom and Air France this week, you will certainly be targeted by malicious campaigns. They will not necessarily arise immediately. Your information will first be sold on the Dark Web, before being used to carry out targeted attacks. Problems could only start in several months, but may last for years. It will therefore be necessary to remain vigilant.

Very realistic targeted attacks thanks to stolen information

During an attempt at bans, you will receive an SMS or an email pretending to be a legitimate service. These messages are all the more convincing that they are addressed to your name and contain your postal address, for example. This can be a message from your bank, social security, or a parcel delivery service.

The idea is to encourage you to click on a link, which will open a false website asking you to connect. This is how they can recover your password. Conversely, the message can take you to a form in order to pay a derisory amount to unlock the delivery of a package, and they thus steal your credit card number.

Watch out for false banking advisers

If your Iban has been stolen, crooks can issue illegitimate sample orders. Your bank should logically block them, but this will not always be the case. So remember to monitor your account statements. You can contest an unauthorized flow for a period of 13 months.

Scholars can also try to reach you by phone, for example, claiming to be your banking advisor. They claim an abnormal movement on your account, and ask you to validate a request in the banking application to allow them to block a fraudulent transfer. In reality, it is quite the opposite, and this action authorizes a sample initiated by the crooks, which would have been blocked otherwise.

Authentication with two factors protects your accounts from intrusions if your password has leaked. However, avoid using codes sent by SMS. With your stolen data, malicious individuals can contact your mobile operator by pretending to be you. By pretending to be a SIM card failure, they can obtain access to your telephone line, and thus receive single -use codes. Favor other methods when they exist, such as an e-mail code or a dedicated application.

Some basic rules to apply on a daily basis

To protect you, you must therefore keep in mind some basic instructions:

• Never click on links in the messages received. Go to the organization’s website supposed to have sent the message, via your favorites or by entering the address directly.
• Never communicate information or follow the instructions of someone calling you on the phone. If he claims to be your bank advisor, remind him of the number indicated on your bank statement.
• Activate two -factor authentication when the sites allow, and use the codes sent by SMS only if there is no better option.
• Monitor the movements on your account and contact your bank in the event of a suspicious movement. You have a period of 13 months to contest.
• Change your passwords if you think you have been the victim of an attack, and never use the same password on two different accounts.

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