Cybersecurity Myths – I’m not a target

Even with the gradual increase in cybersecurity literacy amongst the masses, there are still some myths that people follow religiously, even Cybersecurity professionals. I will set out to bust some of those myths here. Many of the myths have come from companies advertising products as a “silver bullet” solution, some of the myths are because the world has changed and the advice is no longer valid. Cybersecurity myths can be spread by well-meaning people, but you need to consider them with a “pinch of salt”.

In this series of posts about cybersecurity myths, I reveal some common areas of belief, and what you need to do.

I’m not that interesting and don’t have much money – nobody wants to hack me.

There is a thought amongst people that hackers are directly choosing to target you as an individual, and a belief that they are only interested in high-value targets. When it comes to direct money theft, the truth is, even if they can get a few dollars from you, the hacker has made a profit. Most attempts to steal money will be small amounts that you may not notice or you may dismiss as not worth the effort to contest. They will then keep taking small amounts, maybe increasing slightly.

When it comes to identity theft, they don’t care who you are. It is not to impersonate you, it is to get just anyone’s identity for them to take out loans, get new passports or other documents, be a reference for another false identity, steal your tax return or gain other government benefits (even ones you may not realise you are entitled to).

There is another factor, which is more targeted. Even if you think you are not important, just because you have a login to your employer (or any other company or service), this may be what the hacker is trying to get. Many organisations can be lax and not follow Zero Trust principles, or have given the user too much access – allowing the hacker to enter a company or service with a valid user account in an “account takeover” situation.

So, stop being selfish, and realise that it is not just about you as an individual.