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How To Deal With Cyber Extortion

As technology continues to develop, new forms of online crime appear. One of them is cyber extortion. What is it, and how can you prevent it? Keep on reading to find out.

What Is Cyber Extortion?

Cyber extortion is defined as an act of cyber criminals who steal your personal or financial information and threaten to harm you if you do not pay them a certain amount of money. It is possible to say that cyber extortion is a form of online blackmail.

This type of online crime is becoming more and more popular today as most individuals and businesses store their data online. It can destroy your business and reputation, so reaching out to cyber security investigation professionals is crucial if you want to know what you can do to prevent it.

Dealing With Cyber Extortion

The main thing you should do in order to protect yourself from cyber extortion is not to let cybercriminals break into your system or network. Here is what you can do to deal with cyber extortion:

1. Use a Patch Management System

Having an effective patch management system is an important first step. Online criminals always try to find systems and networks with vulnerabilities. Therefore, you should always examine your system & network regularly to discover any loopholes and apply security patches to close them up.

2. Back up all data

Even if you lose your data, which is the worst possible scenario, you’ll at least know that you have backed up your data somewhere else. Backing up your data to an off-site location is the smartest thing you can do because you never know when you may be attacked. It will save you a lot of energy and money in the long run.

3. Implement Firewalls for DDoS protection

The purpose of a firewall is to block access to all unauthorized IP addresses. You can also place all of your computation resources behind Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) in order to restrict traffic to certain parts of your infrastructure. Also, you can use firewalls to control incoming traffic.

4. Use strong passwords

According to the Avast survey, almost 83% of Americans use weak passwords, and over 53% of people use the same passwords on different accounts. You should not be one of them – always use strong passwords, and make sure to update your passwords once in a while. A strong password is at least 12, preferably 14, characters in length and contains a combination of Upper Case, Lower Case, Numbers and Symbols.

5. Consider purchasing cyber insurance coverage

If you’re a business owner, having cyber insurance can be very beneficial, especially if you risk losing thousands of dollars from cyber extortion.

Where To Report Cyber Extortion?

If you’ve experienced cyber extortion, it’s important to report it because it’ll help you stay safe and protect other people who can also become victims. There are several options for reporting cyber extortion:

• Contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). File a complaint with the IC3 if you believe you have been the victim of an Internet crime or if you want to file on behalf of another person you believe has been such a victim.
• Contact local authorities. Even though the authorities might not be able to find online criminals responsible for cyber extortion, they can tell you what you can and should do. Many law enforcement organizations have staff members who specialize in such problems as online crimes and cyber extortion.
• Contact platforms on which cyber extortion occurred. By doing this, you let these platforms know about the scams they may not know about. All major platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram, have a reporting system that you can use to report issues to moderators.

Cyber Investigation Services for You

Have you become a victim of cyber extortion? Or do you want to prevent an online crime but don’t know what you should do? Do not worry – Quantum Cyber Security & Investigations, Inc. is ready to assist you.

Located in Sarasota, FL, our company specializes in digital investigations by helping different types of businesses and individuals to detect, counter, prevent, monitor, and take actions against cyber crimes, including cyber extortion.

Our team consists of experienced professionals who are always on high alert in order to help you solve all types of cyber problems. If you have any questions or want to know more about the cyber investigation services we offer, don’t hesitate to contact us today.