There are many techniques hackers can use to steal passwords, take control of accounts, or sneak in malware. However, in this article we are going to talk about the main mistake that we can make and that could cause an attacker to steal our bank account. We are going to explain what you do to achieve it and what you can do to avoid problems and maintain security at all times.
False problems, the main bait to steal accounts
In many cases, what cybercriminals do is make the victim believe that they have a problem. For example, that there is a failure in your account, some change that you must make or otherwise they could suspend it. This can lead to nervousness and the need to do something fast before something negative can happen.
For example, something common is that they send an email saying that someone has tried to enter the account and it is necessary to change the password as soon as possible. The victim, wanting to avoid trouble and act quickly, clicks on that link and makes the mistake of handing the data over to the attacker.
What really happens is that this link leads to a fake page that has been created pretending to be the bank’s website. When the victim puts his data, he is really sending it to a cybercriminal. It is what is known as a Phishing attack and it is a very common type of attack that continues to be successful.
Therefore, this is the main and serious mistake that we can make. Never log in to the bank through links you receive by email or SMS. It can be a trap to empty your bank account. Whenever you have questions, check directly with the bank or log in but through the official page or the legitimate program. Never enter from third party sites.
Other methods to steal bank accounts
But this strategy is not the only one they can use to rob a bank account . They can also use other methods like sneaking in a keylogger, trojan or simply using brute force to figure out the password. There is even the option of having them control your mobile to receive the authentication codes in two steps.
What a keylogger does is record everything you put on your mobile or computer. This includes passwords as well, so they can use it to scam you. A Trojan is going to have the ability to spy on you and also monitor what you do on your device, so it can take control of the account.
As for brute force , they basically take advantage of weak passwords. You should never use keys that are not 100% secure. Avoid using words or digits that relate to you, which may be easy to figure out. It’s a good idea to use completely random keys, containing letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and other special symbols. Always randomly and never repeat it elsewhere.
In short, as you can see, hackers can use a very common method such as Phishing to steal your bank account. But they can also use other strategies. It is important to avoid attacks on bank accounts and not have problems.