How to Protect Yourself From Tailgating Attacks

Holding the door for someone might open the way to a cyberattack. For anyone who works in a secure building or workplace, they might want to rethink that courtesy. The hackers and thieves behind piggybacking and tailgating attacks count on it. 

Piggyback and tailgating attacks occur when an unauthorized person gains access to a restricted workplace, one that requires some form of ID to enter. While quite similar, these attacks have an important difference: 

• Piggybacking occurs when a person knowingly allows an unauthorized person into a restricted location—such as holding a secured door open for them. 
• Tailgating occurs when an unauthorized person slips into a restricted area without someone knowing—perhaps because someone left a secured door ajar. 

In both cases, these unauthorized entries can put businesses and organizations at risk. They give potential bad actors all kinds of access to sensitive information and devices.  

Trade secrets get stolen this way, as does customer information. In yet more malicious cases, bad actors might gain entry with the intent of sabotaging technology or hijacking a network. And of course, bad actors might do harm to people or property. 

Businesses and organizations that find themselves at risk include those that: 

• Have many employees, often moving inside and out of the premises. 
• Have multiple entrance points into a building. 
• Receive deliveries of food, packages, and documents regularly. 
• Employ a sizable number of subcontractors. 
• Lack training in physical and cybersecurity protocols. 

Different businesses and organizations have different forms of security in place. You might be among the many who use a smart badge or some form of biometric security to enter a building or certain areas within a building. 

However, determined bad actors will look for ways around these measures. With piggyback and tailgating attacks, it’s far easier for them to follow someone into a workplace than it is to break into a workplace. 

Common types of piggybacking and tailgating attacks 

Bad actors will simply walk in when someone holds the door for them. It’s as simple as that. Additionally, they’ll try several different tricks by: 

• Posing as a delivery driver bringing in packages or food. 
• Claiming they work in the building and that they left their ID at home. 
• Carrying a bulky load of boxes and hoping you’ll open the door to help. 
• Disguising themselves as a vendor, like a service worker or IT consultant. 
• Similarly, disguising themselves as an executive or V.I.P. who’s in a hurry. 

In all, piggybacking and tailgating attacks rely on social engineering—playing off people’s innate courtesy, willingness to help, or even discomfort with conflict. Essentially, the attacker manipulates human nature. 

How to prevent piggybacking and tailgating attacks 

A good portion of prevention falls on the owner of the building, whether that’s a business, organization, or a landlord. It falls on them to install security hardpoints like badge scanners, keypad locks, biometric scanners, and so on to keep the property secure. Moreover, employers owe it to themselves and their employees to train them on security measures.  

Yet you can take further steps to prevent a piggybacking or tailgating attack on your workplace. Some steps include: 

• Don’t hold the door for anyone you don’t recognize as an employee. 
• Direct strangers who appear lost to a reception area. 
• Always close secure doors and ensure they lock. 
• Report any issues with a secure door, such as if it doesn’t close properly or closes too slowly. 

Also consider the security of your devices or any other sensitive information you work with. If a bad actor slips into your workplace, you can take other steps to prevent theft or damage. 

• Use a lock screen on your computer to prevent access to networks and files. 
• Consider tethering your laptop to your desk with a laptop lock to prevent grab-and-run theft. 
• Securely store any printed materials.  
• Keep your personal items on your person, like your keys, smartphone, and other valuables. 

Don’t hold the door 

Some aspects of piggybacking and tailgating prevention seem like they go against our better nature. We want to be kind, helpful, and sometimes we’d simply rather avoid confrontation. Again, piggybackers and tailgaters count on that. Yet a door is only as secure as the person who uses it—or who opens it for someone else.  

The post How to Protect Yourself From Tailgating Attacks appeared first on McAfee Blog.

How to Stay One Step Ahead of Hackers

Whether using the internet for play or work, you want to spend your time online enjoying the peace of mind that comes with having a secure network. 

You don’t want to contend with someone taking your personal data — whether it’s credit card information, passwords, or bank account details — via malware or a data breach on your Android, Windows, or Apple iOS device. 

Fortunately, with some sensible precautions and simple steps, you can use your connected devices productively without worrying about cybercriminals and malicious software. This article explains how to stop hackers from getting access to your sensitive data.  

8 ways to protect your identity from hackers

You can take steps to protect your different computing and mobile devices and operating systems. These steps can be divided into technological solutions and the right awareness and information to provide a comforting measure of self-protection. 

It’s like learning karate for self-defense, giving you confidence as you negotiate the wider world (and hoping that you never have to use it). 

Use identity protection software

When it comes to identity protection software, McAfee provides a proven solution with our identity protection and privacy services. The protection includes alerts if your sensitive information is found on the dark web (up to 10 months sooner than other providers), personal data cleanup from sites gathering and selling your information, and an unlimited virtual public network (VPN) service that protects your privacy as you use public Wi-Fi networks. 

You’ll also get up to $1 million in identity theft coverage and hands-on restoration support to help you reclaim your identity.  

Use complex passwords

Simple, obvious passwords and passcodes (like your street address, your birthday, your kids’ or pets’ names, or “1234” or “abcd”) are easy for cybercriminals to crack, giving them unwanted access to your private data. 

The stronger your password, the better your protection. Some best password practices include: 

• Use a different password for all your online accounts, including your email accounts, social media platforms, and bank accounts. 
• Create a password that’s at least eight characters long, combining lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. 
• Don’t use consecutive keystrokes, such as “qwerty.” 
• Don’t share your passwords with anyone. 
• Avoid entering your password on unsecured public Wi-Fi, such as at an airport or in a coffee shop. 

Regularly update passwords

It’s important not to be a standing target. Just as you should use different passwords for everything, you should regularly change your passwords. You should do this a few times a year (although some cyber experts say this might not be necessary if you have a long and very complicated password). 

If you have a number of passwords that you update often, it might be worth getting a password manager like McAfee True Key to keep track of them. Not only will you not be faced with remembering all your different passwords or writing them down (also a no-no), but it can also help you create and store unique passwords.  

The software uses the strongest encryption algorithms available to protect your passwords, scrambling them so no one else can access them. It’ll also suggest new passwords and automatically log you into your online accounts with just one master password. 

Use multi-factor authentication

Another important line of defense is multi-factor authentication (sometimes known as two-factor authentication). This system uses a password and a second piece of verification — often an SMS message sent to your Android device or iPhone — to authenticate your identity. 

This provides hard-to-beat protection even if a hacker has your password. Besides receiving SMS codes, there are also code-generating apps and physical security keys. 

Learn to spot potential scams

Thinking before you click on an email or text is a very important defense against phishing scams. Your bank won’t send you an email or text notifying you that there’s been suspicious activity on your account.  

Does getting a large refund from your phone company sound too good to be true? It is. Similarly, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) won’t text to tell you that you owe them money, and princes aren’t going to give you a fortune out of the blue. 

Internet users beware: If you’re not absolutely certain that the text message you received is from a legitimate and trusted source, delete it. You can always contact the business or person directly to confirm that the message is legit. 

Keep device software up to date

Any operating system or app you use is open to malicious cyberattacks. This is why you should keep all your software up to date with the latest versions. Software developers are continually fixing holes in their products and offering cybersecurity patches to make them as safe and hacker-proof as possible. 

Make sure your software, firmware, and security settings are up to date on your home’s Wi-Fi router, as well. You can often change your settings to allow for automatic updates. 

Be cautious when using public Wi-Fi

Sure, who doesn’t like to go to a cafe, library, or hotel lobby to use the free Wi-Fi? But security is often weak in these public networks. If you open your online banking account or access personal information, you may unwittingly be giving a personal invitation to eavesdropping cybercriminals.  

This is where the bank-grade level of protection of McAfee Secure VPN comes in, which automatically turns on when you need it and keeps you safe on public Wi-Fi networks. 

Use encryption

Even if your device does get hacked, you can protect vital information on your Windows or macOS system with an encryption program like BitLocker or FileVault. You can protect any hard drive you use, including portable ones and USB keys. 

It’s also a good idea to only shop at encrypted websites marked with the prefix “HTTPS” in their URLs. 

Discover how McAfee keeps you secure online

One of the best ways to surf the web in comfort while keeping hackers at bay is with the comprehensive solutions provided by McAfee Total Protection. 

Your protection includes proactive measures (meaning we’ll guide you to the best choices for prevention), early detection, and expert identity theft support.  

This means you’ll get identity monitoring, up to $1 million in identity theft coverage, lost wallet protection, premium antivirus software, a secure VPN, and personal data removal. In particular, our Personal Data Cleanup service will help find and remove your personal information from data broker websites and people search sites.  

With McAfee, you don’t have to be afraid of hackers. Let us deal with them.  

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