Cybercrime: a growing problem

Legal expenses insurance: protection against hackers

We're all active in the digital world. We shop online, pay bills, share information. But what happens if we fall victim to hackers? In cases like this, CSS Legal Expenses Insurance can prove invaluable.

Hacking & phishing: common forms of cybercrime

Cybercrime takes many forms – and more than 350,000 people in Switzerland are affected by it each year. The more you know about it, the better protected you’ll be:

Hacking

Hacking is probably the best-known form of cybercrime. A variety of techniques are used to hack and exploit passwords, sensitive data, personal accounts, WLAN networks and more. Successful hacker attacks often start with phishing emails or text messages.

Phishing

You get an email or, in the case of ‘smishing’, an SMS text message that appears to have been sent by a trustworthy source such as your bank, Swiss Post, the customs authorities or a telecom provider. You’ll find a few examples below. The message asks you to click on a link and divulge confidential information such as your bank data. There is no technology that can prevent phishing.

Online fraud: another example of cybercrime

Phishing emails and text messages from fraudulent senders can be deceptively real-looking. CSS itself has been the focus of cybercrime. Fake emails were sent that appeared to be from CSS. The aim of the fraudsters is to steal personal data.

Malware

Malware (short for ‘malicious software’) is invasive software designed to infect and damage computer systems, or to gain unauthorised access to them. Particularly aggressive forms of malware specialise in financial data and other sensitive information, and are used for blackmail, fraud and identity theft. Mobile devices such as laptops and smartphones are just as susceptible to malware as PCs.

Protection against hackers: it’s worth taking preventive steps

• Check the sender: Never open emails from unknown senders, never click on a link and never open an email attachment if you’re not sure who the message is from.
• Delete spam: Delete messages that you believe to be spam.
• Check orders: Have you ordered something online? If an email appears suspect, it’s better to log in to your customer account with the company you ordered from and check the delivery status.
• Protect passwords: Regularly create new, secure passwords and use a password manager tool to store them securely.
• Be careful with public WLAN: When surfing the net via public WLAN, you have no control over its security. So, ideally, you really shouldn’t use it to carry out any personal transactions such as online banking or shopping.

Report hacker attacks

Victims of cybercrime can report incidents to the local police. Gather together as much evidence as possible of the hacking attack, such as screenshots of the fake email, account statements, etc. Or report the attack to the National Cyber Security Centre.