Mayor Sokhary Chau | Mayor Sokhary Chau official website
Mayor Sokhary Chau | Mayor Sokhary Chau official website
Cybersecurity Awareness is focused on helping individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data continue to evolve, become more commonplace, and increase in complexity. When discussing threats, some of the terms often used include: malware, phishing, ransomware, breaches, data-leaks, cyber-attacks, compromises, and so on and so on. This is why the term "cyber-related event" has gained popularity as a catch-all general term. The Questions and Answers below are intended to provide some helpful information about the cyber-related event in Lowell, and recommendations that individuals can follow to better protect themselves online.
Q: Who's getting affected by these cyber-related events?
A: The list is long and constantly growing. Below is just a partial list of some of the organizations that have experienced cyber-related events during 2023 alone. This list represents millions of potentially impacted individuals across a variety of industries. As the data from cyber-related events continues to grow, it allows the people who harvest the data to attempt to gather and consolidate information on individuals, which can then be used to perpetuate criminal and fraudulent activity against them.
| ORGANIZATION | INDUSTRY |
| City of Dallas, TX | Municipality |
| Nashua School District | Education |
| Harvard Pilgrim Health Care | Healthcare |
| Tufts Health Plan | Healthcare |
| Procter & Gamble | CPG |
| Virgin Group | Financial Institution |
| UK Pension Protection Fund | Financial Institution |
| City of Oakland, CA | Municipality |
| US Wellness | Healthcare |
| Community Health Systems | Healthcare |
| Hitachi Energy | Utility |
| MSI | Hardware Manufacturing |
| Genova Burns | Law |
| Activision | Software |
| Sharp HealthCare | Healthcare |
| JD Sports | Retail |
| T-Mobile | Cellular Provider |
| MailChimp | Software |
| PayPal | Financial Institution |
| Chick-fil-A | Fast Food |
| Software | |
| Western Digital | Hardware Manufacturing |
| Independent Living Systems | Healthcare |
| TMX Finance | Financial Institution |
| Amazon (Ring) | Retail, Technology |
| AT&T | Cellular Provider |
| Verizon | Cellular Provider |
| US Marshall Services | Law Enforcement |
| Pepsi Bottling Ventures | CPG |
| Heritage Provider | Healthcare |
Q: Who is behind these events and why?
A: Plainly and simply: criminals who want your money. Each event has its own particular nuance. Maybe they want you to pay them for stealing your data. Maybe they want others to pay them for stealing your data. While the reasons may vary, they typically revolve around monetizing either your data or their ability to access your data. These criminals are often associated with criminal organizations outside of the U.S., and utilize the "dark web" to trade their data and conduct other illegal activities. The dark web is a part of the internet that isn't indexed by search engines. It is a subset of the deep web, and requires a specific browser to access.
Q: I've recently received a fraudulent unemployment claim - how did that happen and what should I do? Is it connected to the cyber-related event which occurred on April 24, 2023?
A: States have experienced a surge in fraudulent unemployment claims filed by organized crime rings using stolen identities that were accessed or purchased from cyber-related events. The majority of these cyber-related events occurred in previous years, particularly coinciding with COVID, during which many people received them. In the case of Unemployment Identity Fraud, the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has a specific website dedicated to Report Unemployment Identity Fraud (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/UIIDtheft), which you should visit and review for details, including instructions on how to contact the state's unemployment agency and file a report.
While there is a claim by PLAY, the criminal group that stated responsibility for the cyber-related incident in Lowell, that city data has been exfiltrated, it is being monitored by a variety of agencies and waiting to be further assessed. According to PLAY, the data was released on May 11, 2023. If you have received any fraudulent claims prior to that date, it is likely to be from another cyber-related event experienced by a different organization. Even after that date it could still be from another cyber-related event as these events are ongoing in all sectors and industries.
Q: I've recently learned that a credit card or checking account was opened in my name - how did that happen and what should I do? Is it related to the cyber-related event which occurred on April 24, 2023?
A: Credit card and banking fraud can result from cyber-related events, card skimmers, getting scammed, calling about fake prizes, or even buying something online. The Federal Trade Commission has a website dedicated to identity theft (https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/) that is designed to be a one-stop resource for identity theft victims. This site provides streamlined checklists and sample letters to guide you through the recovery process.
Additionally, here is an article from NerdWallet (https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/actions-credit-identity-fraud) that may be helpful in learning how to deal with credit card fraud, including how to access and review your credit report (free annually), and who to contact in the event of fraud. If you don't already do so, you should make it a habit to review your credit report annually (or more often!).
While there is a claim by PLAY, the criminal group that stated responsibility for the cyber-related incident in Lowell, that city data has been exfiltrated, it is being monitored by a variety of agencies and waiting to be further assessed. According to PLAY, the data was released on May 11, 2023. If you have received any fraudulent claims prior to that date, it is likely to be from another cyber-related event experienced by a different organization. Even after that date it could still be from another cyber-related event as these events are ongoing in all sectors and industries.
Q: I'm hearing rumors that the city's bank accounts are being attacked and fraudulent checks are being deposited to drain them. Is it related to the cyber-related incident which occurred on April 24, 2023?
A: Banking fraud is a constant and ongoing threat, and we work closely with our banks to protect taxpayer money. Attempts to cash fraudulent checks aren't anything new, occurring on a routine basis since before April 24, 2023, and would be expected to occur even if the event hadn't taken place. Working with our financial partners, the city has processes in place to handle this type of fraud.
Q: I've received an alert that my SSN has been exposed on the dark web. What should I do? Is it related to the cyber-related event which occurred on April 24, 2023?
A: Generally speaking, if your SSN (social security number) is exposed, there are several actions you should consider taking in order to help avoid identity theft. While there are plenty of articles online addressing this, Microsoft has a great article available here (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/what-to-do-if-your-social-security-number-ssn-is-exposed-b08d677f-471d-41be-ac9b-f9f7109f7643).
While there is a claim by PLAY, the criminal group that stated responsibility for the cyber-related incident in Lowell, that city data has been exfiltrated, it is being monitored by a variety of agencies and waiting to be further assessed. According to PLAY, the data was released on May 11, 2023. If you have received any fraudulent claims prior to that date, it is likely to be from another cyber-related event experienced by a different organization. Even after that date it could still be from another cyber-related event as these events are ongoing in all sectors and industries.
Q: What else can I do to protect myself?
A: Training. Microsoft has a helpful article on how to protect yourself from identity theft online (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/protecting-yourself-from-identity-theft-online-6019708f-e990-4894-9ca7-fdb53ee70830), which everyone is encouraged to review. For a deep dive into cybersecurity education, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) (https://www.nist.gov/itl/applied-cybersecurity/nice/resources/online-learning-content) from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology offers a variety of free and low cost online educational content.
Credit Reports. If you don't already review your credit report on a routine basis, you should. In fact, the federal government mandates that the major credit reporting bureaus provide you with a free annual credit report. USAGov has an area dedicated to Credit Reports and Scores (https://www.usa.gov/credit), which includes information on how to get your free copy. There are also many online applications out there that offer free credit reports, most notably Credit Karma (https://www.creditkarma.com/), which allows you to access your report and receive alerts to changes in your credit score.
Passwords. Make sure to use complex passwords with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Use at least 11 characters in your passwords to help make them more difficult to crack. Also don't forget to change them often, especially if you think they have been exposed!
Multifactor Authentication. Many applications now allow for the use of multiple "things" (factors) for authentication, commonly referred to as multifactor authentication, often combined with your username and password entry. These other factors can consist of an external device, a text message, a phone call, or an application on a cell phone. Whenever possible, you should enable multifactor authentication to access anything from your email account to your financial accounts for credit and banking.
Internet Scans. There are a variety of sites that will scan the internet, including the dark web, to help you identify if your personal information has been exposed or otherwise compromised. Some free sites to visit include Experian, where you can get a free Experian personal privacy scan (https://www.experian.com/consumer-products/personal-privacy-scan.html) to see how much of your personal data is exposed, and ';--have i been pwned? (https://haveibeenpwned.com/) to see if your email or phone number may have been exposed in a data breach. Does your information show up on these sites? Change your password!
Stop. Think. Click. Clicking to open access or open items is often done so quickly that we often don't even think about it. Criminals count on this, and often leverage psychological ploys to get you to do things without thinking about it.
- What about the attached invoice from a vendor you've never heard of? Should you open that immediately to avoid additional fees? No.
- Why is a company informing you of a charge for services that you haven't engaged them for? Should you click on the link to notify them of any error? No.
- Do you think an email to your inbox notifying you that you won a lottery is legitimate? Should you click on the included link "immediately before you lose your chance to become a millionaire"? No, sorry. Any legitimate lottery would either notify you in person or by certified mail.
Cybersecurity is an evolving threat that requires constant vigilance. Before clicking on that email, attachment, or link, you're advised to "Stop. Think. Click." to avoid opening up something that might contain malware designed to steal your information or otherwise harm you.
Original source can be found here.
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