Critical Security Update: June 4, 2024 (New Phishing Attack, Windows 11 Update, Elderly Fraud Conviction)

Jun 04, 2024

Critical Security Update

New Phishing Attack, Windows 11 Update, Elderly Fraud Conviction

Risk 1: Low

Issue: A new phishing attack is targeting backs in Europe. At this moment, 54 banks have been hit and it is expected that this trend will increase and, possibly, expand to the United States.

Resolution: Individuals should be extra cautious if working with international banks. More so, please be on guard for the possibility that US-based institutions may be next on the targeted list.

European Central Bank (ECB) - Overview, History, Roles

Risk 2: Medium

Issue: A recent Windows 11 update is causing an increase in taskbar crashes. This is a preview version and not an officially released version.

Resolution: Microsoft has not released a full correction for it so please do not update to any preview versions.
In fact, this is a good reminder that using preview or beta versions is neither fully secure nor stable. We should be very cautious in ever using non-official releases.

Risk 3: Low

Issue: Elderly continue to be targeted by fraudsters. Financial Guardians shared about a webinar two weeks ago from the FTC focusing on aiding elderly clients to avoid scams. Just yesterday, executives at Epsilon Data Management LLC were convicted for assisting fraudsters in collecting data to target elderly individuals. The conviction came with a $150 million penalty and the possibility of 20 years in prison.

Resolution: While this may not be a vulnerability, it serves as a reminder that there are people actively after our client data. And the penalties and outcomes are real.