If the UK exits the European Union without a transition deal, we should brace ourselves for a deluge of cyber con-artists offering UK users ‘help’ – all seeking to capture valuable information which can be used for nefarious aims. Expect terms such as EHIC cards and E111 – European Driving License Green Card – to be the new front for sneak attacks to capture your data. The crucial thing that Brits need to be aware of, perhaps more than at any other time, is keeping a calm head and carrying on maintaining high quality security practices.
Jake Moore, Cyber Security Specialist at ESET:
“The uncertainty around Brexit brings with it a new, and potentially unforeseen, avenue of attack. EHIC cards, European Green Cards, not to mention GDPR, all offer cyber criminals the potential to craft targeted phishing attacks. The key is to check and confirm whether an email is legitimate: if in doubt go to the relevant government website independently to corroborate what the email is claiming. Don’t get fooled by emails which appear to be from a friend or known contact – this can be easy to spoof and is a go-to in a cyber criminal’s toolkit. As we frequently see, and has unfortunately become a reality of our time, social media driven fake news can use scare tactics and I highly doubt the furore around Brexit will be any different.”
