Keylogger, phishing and other scams

With the popularity of cryptocurrency, also the number of scams grew rapidly. The most known, or used, in crypto world are keylogger, phishing and similar.

Keyloggers are a sort of monitoring software that records a user's keystrokes. These keystroke loggers, one of the oldest types of cyber threat, record the information you type into a website or application and send it to a third party. Keyloggers are used by criminals to steal personal or financial information, such as banking information, which they subsequently sell or use for profit. They do, however, have valid purposes in the workplace, such as troubleshooting, improving user experience, and monitoring staff. Keylogging is also used for surveillance by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Usually, it is impossible to tell that you have keylogger in your computer. The best way to find out is to perform antivirus scan.

Phishing is a type of cybercrime in which a person posing as a genuine organization contacts a target or targets via email, phone, or text message to persuade them to provide sensitive data such as personally identifying information, banking and credit card information, and passwords. The data is then utilized to get access to sensitive accounts, which can lead to identity theft and financial loss. The first phishing lawsuit happened in 2004, when a teenager in USA created fake website of America Online. He was able to get multiple sensitive details about users and victims.

One should always check if the connection to the website is secure and if anything seems off. Especially when logging in to an online bank or wallet, where he stores cryptocurrencies. When talking about phishing mails, here are some tips, how to recognise it easily:

-        Sense of urgency

-        Suspicious links

-        Attachments, which are in unusual format

-        Unknown or suspicious sender

-        Usually mails sound too good to be true

One also common scam, when talking about cryptocurrencies, are fake trading companies or exchanges. They make you believe that you are investing into assets, while your money goes in vain. When one wants to withdraw his funds and profits, they never get the money. We recommend, that before sending money to any company, do the thorough research, as well as their license etc. It is also recommended, to avoid being scammed, to trade or invest with the well known or reputable company. If, for example, you enter a website and it looks simply and quickly made, without any addresses, licenses, analysis etc. it is probably a scam.

Human imagination has no limits, meaning that there are many more scams, which one can fall for. So, when in online world and managing your assets, always pay attention – even to small details.