Email only fails once.

The title of this text is a derivative of a short documentary that was played to JNA soldiers and youth in SFRY as a life lesson. Miner makes a mistake only once. it should have taught us caution, but also told us the bitter truth - even the greatest professionals can make a mistake, even when their life depends on it.

It's the same with professionals for security na Internet; everyone has some negative experience based on their own mistake, very often extremely primitive. Not to mention us average users. It's hard to find someone who hasn't made the wrong choice when replying to a message, forwarding an email or buying something online. Sometimes a quick reaction saves us, we can correct a mistake before the unwanted recipient or participant in the communication notices. Sometimes it is not possible.

Recently, phishing scams are back in vogue. Not that they've ever gone out of style as far as scammers go, but defense technology has advanced far enough that they haven't been overly successful. Now these frauds are again current and they hit big systems like Google and Microsoft, that is, their Gmail and Outlook services. Apple is not immune either, of course. What is it about?

A phishing scam involves me as a user taking some action that will unlock access to my email or computer to an intruder. Those systems (emails and computers) are normally well protected and it rarely happens that hackers manage to break through those protections if we don't help them ourselves. This help is most often reflected in opening a fake link or starting an attachment with a message, which actually starts an application that gets access to our passwords and can take control of the account. In the worst cases, the entire IT system of a company is blocked, and privately someone can get hold of your personal information and blackmail you by publishing it on social networks and all your contacts. In return, money is demanded, mostly in cryptocurrencies.

The extent of the danger is shown in a message sent by the FBI on Monday, warning Internet users specifically about the threat of malware (dangerous software) called Medusa. After entering the system, this malware behaves completely unnoticed, that is, it imitates normal activity so that virus trackers do not notice it, while at the same time it scans the system in search of important information that could be stolen.

The first tip the FBI gives is to back up all important files to a safe, offline location. It's lockout protection, not information theft protection. That's why they recommend using two-factor or multi-factor authentication (2FA and MFA). This means that instead of one password to access, say, Gmail or social networks, we have another step, or "door". For user comfort, it is suggested that the system sends you an additional code to a special application, usually on a mobile phone, where you confirm your physical presence. It is assumed that hackers are not in possession of your phone and cannot know about this additional code. Additional devices that create codes in sync with the system can also be used, but this is considered less convenient.

You most often fall for phishing because you receive a message that seems authentic and dramatic. There's a problem with a shipment someone is sending you, or you've received a reminder for an unpaid bill and the amount is unpleasant. Well, who wouldn't click on an attached document to see what they're all about? And that's all you have to do to compromise. Until now, those messages were made to target the American and EU markets and users in Serbia easily recognized them. Artificial intelligence helps to tailor them to everyone's measurements.

If you do happen to make a mistake, it is essential that you immediately report it to an administrator in the company or online so that they can react quickly and reduce the damage. The real solution, in addition to frequent password changes and at least 2FA, is to not open any e-mails with warnings of any kind, because all these warning systems send through other channels, never by e-mail. As with miners - just one careless and hasty move is enough to cause great harm.