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Not All WiFi Is Good WiFi
With summer travel back in full swing, our electronic devices are often in tow. WiFi is now included with most mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. Access to WiFi is also standard in most places from corporate offices to public spaces. It’s important to remember that not all WiFi is good WiFi.
With WiFi technology being so pervasive, it provides opportunities for cybercriminals. Luckily, you can significantly reduce your WiFi risk through awareness and security tips.
Malicious WiFi access points
Cybercriminals often use a malicious WiFi access point for an attack. These devices can be set up in hotels, coffee shops, airports, near offices and apartment complexes, etc. The cybercriminal’s goal is to get unsuspecting victims to connect to the malicious device for WiFi. For example, a malicious WiFi access point could be set up near a hotel pool and named “Free Pool WiFi.” If you’re a hotel guest and see this option, you’d likely connect.
Cybercriminals also try to imitate legitimate access points. A cybercriminal could be in a car near an office with a WiFi access point with a similar name as your office’s regular WiFi. If your mobile device or computer attempts to connect, it might connect to the malicious access point instead of the real one. Criminals sometimes will even knock the legitimate access point offline, making their access point only one available.
What cybercriminals try to access
Assuming you’ve connected to a malicious access point, what can a cybercriminal do? Once connected, a cybercriminal can begin attacking that device directly. If the device has any vulnerabilities, including missing patches, the criminal has a direct connection to the device, allowing easy access. With successful exploitation of the vulnerability, the criminal could control that device without the user’s knowledge. If the user disconnects from that WiFi access point, every time the user goes back online from anywhere, the criminal could re-gain access because of the malware installed.
Privacy risks
Another risk is privacy. While a victim is connected to the malicious access point, the cybercriminal can monitor everything they do online. This risk has reduced in recent years as more sites have SSL certificates. An SSL certificate allows the website to encrypt its traffic. If you visit a website with a URL that starts with HTTPS:// that indicates that everything you see and type on that website is secure.
Even if you were on a malicious WiFi access point, the criminal could not see what you’re typing. It is important to note that while HTTPS ensures that the data you are sending to the website is secure, HTTPS does not guarantee that the website you are visiting is legitimate. If you have typed in the correct URL and see the HTTPS, then you should be safe. However, if you mistype the URL or are visiting a site that you are not familiar with, it could have HTTPS in the URL, but that does not guarantee the website itself is safe.
Website security issues
Of course, cybercriminals don’t just give up. Sometimes, they will attempt to break the encryption between you and the website. If successful, they can monitor everything you type. Luckily, this type of attack is easy to detect because there will be an on-screen warning about a security issue with the website.
In many cases, it will specifically say that there is an issue with the Security Certificate. If you see one of these warnings, stop! Do not select to ignore the warning or continue to the website. If you do, everything you see and type can be monitored and recorded. These warnings mean something is wrong, and you should contact your company’s ‘tech support or the company that provides the website.
DNS attacks
Another common form of attack with malicious WiFi access points is a DNS attack. When your device connects to any WiFi access point, that access point will assign a DNS server to your device. A DNS server is a system that tells your computer how to get to another computer based on the domain name that you type in.
For example, if you open your browser and type in www.sosdailynews.com, your computer doesn’t understand what that means. Instead, it will send that domain name to a DNS server and ask, “how do I get to this address?” The DNS server will then respond with something like “192.223.10.25,” an IP address for that website. Your computer understands the IP address and then makes the connection.
If a cybercriminal controls the DNS server that your computer is communicating with, that will allow them to control where your computer connects. For example, if you typed in the URL to a bank, a malicious DNS server could give you an IP address that points to a criminal’s web server designed to look like the bank. You think you’ve typed in the correct URL and end up at a website that looks like what you expected. You type in your login, password. or other confidential information. And, that data is sent to the malicious website without your knowledge.
How to check for website security
Because detecting phony WiFi access points is difficult, the best time to look for a potential issue is when you browse to a secured site (any site that starts with HTTPS://). Be sure the website begins with HTTPS:///. Most people will type in www.whatever.com and assume it will add the HTTPS:// at the beginning. Always look to make sure it is there.
If it is not, do not proceed. If you attempt to connect to a secured website and receive a message that there is an issue with the security certificate, stop immediately. There is never a situation where a broken security certificate is normal. If you receive a warning, error message, or other notification that there is a problem, stop, pick up the phone, and contact tech support. Remember that it does not matter where you are; a WiFi attack can happen at home, work, or, any public location.
For more articles on cybersecurity and related topics, visit Mid Oregon’s Security and Fraud Center.
2021 Duck Race Kicks Off at Mid Oregon
Mid Oregon Credit Union is excited to continue support for the 2021 Duck Race. This year marks the 32nd consecutive year for the Great Drake Park Duck Race, which raises funds for local non-profits.
Duck Race tickets on sale
You can lend your support! Purchase a $5 Duck Race raffle ticket at www.theduckrace.com/shop. With your purchase, you have a chance to win over $13k in cash, prizes, and gift cards.
Promotion of Duck Race ticket sales will continue through the summer. You can find info at First Community, Mid Oregon, OnPoint, and SELCO credit union branches. Also, look for local Rotarians, duck mascot, and the duck race van out in the community raising awareness!
Virtual fundraiser for 2021
Similar to last year’s online fundraiser, the 2021 Duck Race will be virtual. A random drawing on September 12th will determine the 2021 winners. Event organizers hope to return to a live river race in 2022.
Support local non-profits
The Duck Race benefits the Deschutes Children’s Foundation, J Bar J Youth Services, KIDS Center, and Mountain Star.
The Great Drake Duck Race is presented by local Rotary clubs and sponsored by Credit Unions Working Together. Prize sponsors include Hoodoo Ski Area, Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, Miller Lumber, Cascade Insurance Center, Webfoot Painting, Zivney Financial Group, Bend Heating & Sheet Metal, The Pennbrook Company, Century Insurance, PacificSource Health Plans, and RBC Wealth Management. Media sponsors include the Bend Radio Group, The Bulletin, Cascades Business News, Central Oregon Daily, Combined Communications, 105.7 KQAK, and News Channel 21. Carlson Sign, Smartz, and Xpress Printing are providing in-kind support.
Since 1989, the Duck Race has raised over $1 million for Central Oregon charities. Buy a Duck! Change a Life!
Five Ways to Boost your Credit Score Starting Now
Do these things to build better credit and enjoy the perks of lower loan rates
By Jean Chatzky* Being denied a loan for a home or a car — or anything — can feel like a punch in the gut. But no matter how you got to the place where you don’t qualify for the best APR rates, or how long your credit has been less than ideal, all is not lost.
There are strategies you can take to begin building your credit back up. Yes, it may require some time and lots of patience on your part, but you won’t regret the effort.
Here are a few suggestions to bump up your credit starting now:
Get your credit report and dig in
Knowledge really is power. You are entitled to a free credit report and score any time you like through SavvyMoney. Pulling your own credit information — which is like a report card for how you handle money — won’t impact your score. It’s also a good idea to request one report from a different bureau (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) every four months so you can make sure there are no errors showing up on individual reports. Get these for free at AnnualCreditReport.com.
If you see anything on a report that’s not correct, report it. About 20% of all credit reports have mistakes, so you need to really scour the document to ensure everything is ship shape. A mistake could mean a lower score even if you did nothing wrong. As the global pandemic led to job losses and other financial hardships, the Federal Trade Commission has noted an increase in credit report errors reported by consumers.
Automate to avoid late fees (and a lower credit score)
Your credit score is largely based on your payment history, counting for about 40%. Scores range from 300 to 850, the higher the better. Here’s the thing: Even one late payment on a credit card can lower your score by as much as 100 points. That’s huge. And that’s why it’s so important to pay your bills on time, or even early, every single due date.
One way to do this is to use online banking and set up automatic payments. We’ve said it before but it is worth repeating. Make it easy on yourself. You can do this by setting up electronic calendar reminders on your smart phone, tablet or laptop, to help nudge you to pay your bills a day or so early. If you are old school, put a big red dot on the paper calendar in your kitchen or office, tape a note to your bathroom mirror or find some other clever way to remember. You can thank me later!
Pay down debt then stay low
Lenders don’t want to see sky-high balances on your credit cards. That means making an effort to pay down balances if you’re carrying them — and then refrain from maxing out your cards if you can help it. Owing more than 30% of your credit limit can be a red flag to those in the money-lending business. You should instead aim to use between 10% and 30% of the total credit you have.
Use it or lose it
If you don’t use a credit card in six months or longer, your credit card issuer could cancel the account and that, in turn, could ding your credit score. If it was the card you held for the longest period of time, that’s a double whammy, because the longer your relationship with your lender, the better it is for your score. To keep an unused card current, make a small purchase once a month then immediately pay the bill.
Consider a secured credit card
If you get turned down for a traditional credit card because of a low credit score or no credit history, you can try opening a secured credit card. This type of card allows you to give the issuer (a credit union or a bank) a certain amount of money up front, which becomes your credit limit. Over time, perhaps 18-24 months of good behavior, many secured cards will transfer to a regular credit card.
*This guest article is from the “Your Money Blog” in Mid Oregon’s Digital Banking Credit Savvy resource. It is made possible by SavvyMoney. “Five Ways to Boost your Credit Score Starting Now” by Jean Chatzky with Casandra Andrews was published in June 2021.