Up to 68% of data breaches recorded in 2024 were caused by human errors, with the majority of people falling victim to phishing or pretexting scams, as shown in a report compiled by Verizon, cited in a specialized article published on Eset’s blog in Romania.
According to the Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, a significant proportion of those deceived also fell for other social engineering tactics, such as email scams and extortion.
One hacking method that hasn't been discussed much lately is pretexting.
According to Eset specialist Mark Szabo, through this type of attack, an attacker creates a pretext (a story) to ultimately steal a victim's money or data.
"Malicious individuals can exploit this wealth of publicly available information through social engineering tactics. The schemes aim to deceive people into sending money or disclosing sensitive data, such as account credentials.
A subtype of Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud, CEO fraud, involves criminals pretending to be a company director and tricking employees, usually from financial or accounting departments, into transferring funds or revealing sensitive company information (...) In today's digital age, maintaining control over your personal information is more important than ever. Whether you're concerned about privacy, security, or just want to manage your online presence, knowing how to reduce your visibility in search results can be a valuable skill," Szabo explained.
In this context, cybersecurity experts offer solutions to reduce digital footprints, including in Google searches.
"Fortunately, Google has listened to people's concerns about the accessibility of personal information and has created several forms to help users remove their data. Additionally, Google offers a tool called "About You" that allows you to monitor your online information and check if details such as home address, phone number, or email address appear in search results.
To use this feature, you need to have a Google account. You can access it through a PC browser or the Google app on your phone," as specified in the Eset article. Both for the browser version and the mobile one, a series of steps must be followed, which ultimately lead to the "About You" function.
"Another option is to submit a direct request to Google to review and remove search results that meet certain criteria - such as exposing your email or home address, login details, or other personal information. It's quite simple - submit a removal request by completing the necessary form (presented below and available here).
If the issue is not clearly defined or Google requires additional information to identify the situation, you will receive an email requesting further clarification," the source noted.