It’s a solo episode today, with the weekly book giveaway, announcements, and a quick message: be careful out there in Internet-land!
I worked as a Cyberspace Operations Officer in the US Marine Corps. Cyber defense, while distinct from Cybersecurity in the US military, falls among what the civilian sector considers as Cybersecurity. In short, I know how phishing works. That’s why it’s embarrassing to say: I got phished this week.
Phishing is a type of email scam where the malicious actor is trying to get information from you, whether that’s login credentials, financial information, or other information that the phisher shouldn’t have access to. It’s helpful to learn their tactics so we know how to avoid them.
In this case, it was login credentials. The phisher created a look-alike web page to imitate my web hosting provider, then emailed me to tell me that a domain renewal payment didn’t go through! I want to make sure my websites stay live of course, so I hurried and logged in–or so I thought–to see what was the matter.
Error #1: I didn’t verify the email came from a legitimate sender.
Error #2: I clicked the link without verifying where it pointed, or I clicked the link at all, instead of opening a new window and typing in the address I know for my web hosting provider.
Error #3: I entered login credentials on the page without checking the address bar to make sure I was actually on my web hosting provider’s website.
What I was staring at was a basic page asking for up-to-date credit card information, “so they could process my domain renewal.” Lies!
I wanted to make sure I understood which domain was expiring–I have a couple that I want to let expire. The page didn’t show any of my domains, because, being a phisher, they didn’t have that information! At this point I realized what had happened, and frantically changed my login for the real website.
What did we learn? (I already knew these things, but I’m sharing them because I got pwned like a n00b, and with this knowledge hopefully you can avoid some hurt.)
DON’T GET PHISHED.
-If you get an unexpected email, check who it’s from.
-Don’t click links in suspicious emails.
-Forward phishing emails to reportphishing@awpg.org.
-Check the address bar in your browser.
-Don’t reuse passwords to minimize the damage in case you get phished or hacked.
Surf safely, and I’ll see you next week!
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➤Weekly Book Giveaway:
- Last week’s winner: A_Groggett. (Again!) (See my Discord server.) Congratulations! Take your pick from the menu at https://grendhill.media/prizes/ .
- The new Question of the Week: What’s your favorite twist on a classic fantasy trope?
- Enter the contest by guessing a number (1–1,000). Add a letter for a chance to win two books!
- The best place to participate is in my Discord server, but I’m now accepting email, tweet, etc.–but make sure you @ me and I react, so you know I got your entry!
➤Stay Connected:
- Discord Server: Join the conversation, answer the question of the week, and enter the giveaway.
- Support the Podcast: Ko-fi Supporters gain exclusive perks like early announcements and behind-the-scenes updates.
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Announcements:
➤ Win Free Books: Head to my Discord server ( https://discord.gg/HvQZeG2AWu ), answer the “Question of the Week,” and guess a number between 1 and 1,000. For a bonus prize, guess a letter of the alphabet for a chance to win two signed books instead of one! See the full “menu” here, but check back again later—it’s growing: https://www.grendhill.media/prizes/
➤ Authors, join the giveaway: If you’re an author and you’d like to reach more readers, I’m willing to buy your book when a contest winner chooses it. Please fill out my Google Form ( https://forms.gle/XKTy7Sg8H9pENm8p7 ) to have your book considered for the “menu.”
➤ Upcoming Conventions:
- FenCon in Dallas (Valentine’s Day weekend).
- StoryCon in Salt Lake City (February 21–22).
- ConFinement in Lebanon, TN (Feb 28-Mar 1).
➤ Book Promo: I’m participating in a clean fantasy eBook giveaway on BookFunnel, until February 17th. See the giveaway here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/epicspeculativefiction/3elgh3hok5 .
➤The Grendhill Chronicles Podcast is brought to you by my YA Epic Fantasy series “Nightshade Unicorn,” written under the pen name T.S. Pedramon. You can purchase it on Amazon or elsewhere, or directly from me at https://www.grendhill.media/ (and get it signed, too). And you can really help out by leaving a comment on Amazon or on Goodreads. It helps other people find my books and join the journey!
➤My Nightshade Unicorn books (1 & 2) are available on Amazon, or you can grab signed copies directly from me at www.grendhill.media.
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Book 1, Forerunner:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVW6CBV9/
Direct: https://www.grendhill.media/
Purchase links everywhere else: https://books2read.com/NightshadeUnicorn-1
Book 2, Guardian:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFFZFZDZ
Direct: https://www.grendhill.media/
Purchase links everywhere else: https://books2read.com/NU2
Find me online:
Author Page: https://www.pedramon.com/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GrendhillChron/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grendhillchronicles/
Discord: https://discord.gg/HvQZeG2AWu
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