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'You will see cyber crime go up' | How to protect yourself, business from attack

IT specialist shares advice during Cybersecurity Awareness Month on how to not fall victim to cyber attacks.

HIGH POINT, N.C. — It seems like every day we're seeing another cyber attack. With it being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it's a good time for a reminder on how to not become a victim.

If you think you're not at risk, think again. The Federal Trade Commission said they got about 1.4 million reports of identity theft in 2020. That's double from 2019.

Ron Pierce, Trinity Solutions Inc., said it's only going to get worse.

"I'd probably say we're still at the top of the iceberg and we haven't seen as bad as it's going to get," Pierce said.

He said as the economy declines, cyber crimes increase.

Why is it such a concern? It can be very costly.

Cybersecurity Ventures predicts damage costs are about $6 trillion a year globally.

This can affect large companies, but also target small businesses and individuals.

"What we're seeing is a lot of smaller, medium-sized businesses not taking cybersecurity seriously," Pierce said.

He advised businesses to take a look at their software. If the software is anywhere from 3 to 5 years old, Pierce said it needs to be updated.

Pierce also suggested small businesses to have the IT company or whoever does their computer support to check in at least once a year.

"For most people, it's an annoyance when their Facebook gets hacked or they're sending out emails or something like that. It starts off as an annoyance, but it quickly escalates. You've got to stay vigilant, you've got to keep focused," Pierce said.

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