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Post: Protect Your Points: The Real Cost of Email Bombing and How to Fight Back
Imagine this: You’ve been saving up loyalty points for what feels like forever, dreaming of the day you’ll redeem them for that dream vacation. But then, in a flash, they’re gone. Not because you finally booked that trip, but because someone else decided they had plans for your points. This isn’t a hypothetical scenario; it happened to Jacinthe Dupuis, a Montreal-area resident, who learned the hard way that even something as innocuous as loyalty points can become a target for cybercriminals.
The Incident
On an otherwise unremarkable Sunday, Dupuis noticed her inbox was unusually full; hundreds of emails flooded in over a few hours, all spam. It was overwhelming, confusing, and, as it turned out, a distraction. Among those emails was a critical alert from Aeroplan, Air Canada’s loyalty program, warning her of changes to her account. By the time she spotted the warning, 100,000 of her Aeroplan points had vanished, redeemed for a flight from Malaysia to Abu Dhabi.
Understanding Email Bombing
Email bombing isn’t about sending you offers you can’t refuse or filling your inbox with junk for the sake of it. It’s a diversion, a smokescreen. Hackers use this tactic to bury important alerts or notifications amidst a sea of spam, distracting you from notices like the one Dupuis missed from Aeroplan. By the time you realize something’s amiss, the damage is done.
Protecting Yourself from Digital Deception
Cybersecurity isn’t just for techies or the ultra-paranoid. It’s a basic necessity in our increasingly digital world. Here are some steps you can take to guard against threats like email bombing:
- Enable Two-Step Verification: Make this a must for all your accounts, especially those linked to financial or personal information. This extra layer of security can be the difference between being safe and being sorry.
- Customize Email Filters: Most email services offer filters to help manage your inbox. Get to know these tools and set up filters that can catch common spam signals, helping keep your inbox clean and important notifications visible.
- Stay Vigilant: Regularly check your accounts for any unusual activity. Don’t wait for an alert to find you; by then, it might be too late.
The Broader Implications
Dupuis’s story isn’t just about lost points; it’s a reminder of our vulnerability in the digital age. Cybersecurity expert Claudiu Popa describes email bombing as a “false flag” operation, meant to distract and delay detection. This technique allows criminals to move undetected, increasing the importance of proactive security measures.
Dupuis got her points back, thanks to Air Canada’s understanding response. But not everyone may be so fortunate. Her experience serves as a warning to all of us to tighten up our digital defenses and be mindful of the tricks and tactics used by cybercriminals.
Conclusion
We live in a world where even loyalty points aren’t safe from cyber threats. Email bombing, as experienced by Dupuis, is a stark reminder of the sophistication of digital criminals and the lengths they’ll go to. Protecting ourselves requires more than just good passwords; it demands vigilance, knowledge, and the willingness to employ every tool at our disposal to safeguard our digital lives.
Let Dupuis’s story be a lesson to us all: in the digital age, security is not just a suggestion; it’s a necessity.
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About the Author: Bernard Aybout (Virii8)
