FBI Springfield warns of 'constant barrage' of cyberattacks

(WAND) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation Springfield Field Office is marking Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October by warning people about the increasing number of internet crimes and cyberattacks.

The FBI said cyber investigations include both internet crime, where individuals become victims of scams and internet fraud and cyber intrusions like ransomware and business email compromises that affect businesses and critical infrastructure.

“At a time when artificial intelligence is ripe for abuse and criminals attempt to exploit the technology, the FBI continues to be the lead federal agency responsible for investigating cyberattacks. And as threats change, the FBI changes with them,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “Cybercrime affects individuals and businesses alike, so by educating the public we hope to prevent victimization, and by partnering with the private sector we hope to strengthen defenses and develop powerful and sophisticated cyber solutions.”

The FBI has cyber personnel in all 56 field offices across the country focusing on cyber intrusions that affect not only U.S. critical infrastructure and big-name corporations, but also small businesses, schools, and local government services.

The FBI offers the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of cyber crime:

• Do not open any email attachment or click a link unless you are expecting the file, document, or invoice and have verified the sender’s email address.

• Be suspicious of requests for secrecy or pressure to take action quickly.

• Keep systems and software up to date and install a strong, reputable anti-virus program.

• Create a strong and unique passphrase for each online account and change passphrases regularly.

• Use multi-factor authentication.

• Examine the email address in all correspondence and scrutinize website URLs before responding to a message or visiting a site.

• Be cautious about the information you share in online profiles and social media accounts.

• Don’t send payments to unknown people or organizations that are seeking monetary support and urge immediate actions.

• Beware of sudden changes in business practices with vendors or customers. For example: If a current business contact suddenly asks to be contacted via their personal email address when all previous official correspondence has been through company email, the request could be fraudulent.

• Businesses should create an incident response plan that includes a relationship with your local FBI field office.

• Take time to read consumer and industry alerts provided by the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Illinois ranks 5th in the country for the most internet crime victims, and 7th in total victim losses at almost $267 million, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2022 Internet Crime Report.

By victim count, personal data breach ranks the highest followed by non payment/non-delivery and extortion. By dollar loss, business email compromise tops the list.

Report cyber-enabled crime by contacting FBI Springfield at 217-522-9675 or through the Internet Crime Complaint Center.