👩🏻‍💻 Microsoft Cert Vouchers Giveaway, Almost Losing The CVE Database, & New Cyberattack Trends

It’s been a WEEK. 😅

But as always, I want to highlight the good and the bad as honestly as possible, especially when things impact the cybersecurity sector as a whole.

So let’s start off with some positive stuff! - Microsoft AI Skills Fest just started!

Microsoft Giving 50,000 Certification Vouchers!

This is a 50-day event where they’re giving out 50,000 Microsoft certification vouchers along with other skills challenges in a bunch of different topics.

If you’re currently in the process of learning (or maybe even studying for a Microsoft Cert!) then I’d recommend checking it out.

Happy learning! 👩🏻‍💻

Ok, so what happened with MITRE’s CVE program?

If you haven’t already heard, last week, we were just one day away from losing the MITRE Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program.

This is essentially a database of all the known vulnerabilities along with their severity levels, affected products/versions, impact, etc.

All vulnerability programs use CVEs to categorize vulnerabilities and cybersecurity teams use them to understand the newest vulns and to decide which ones to prioritize patching over others.

Now.. if this source of vulnerability data were no longer updated, it would mean cybersecurity teams around the world will no longer have insights into new and emerging vulns and attacks.

Yes, that would be very bad news.

Thankfully, it was renewed quite literally one day before the contract was set to expire, so this is a program for 11-months from now.

But hopefully by then, there’s more of an emphasis put on the importance of the cybersecurity sector as a whole.

New Cyberattack Trends & What to Look Out For

Pop quiz:

If you get an email from Netflix saying:

 "Your payment didn’t go through. Click here to update your billing info or your account will be suspended."

What would you do?

A) Click the link immediately - because, duh, you need Netflix.
B) Ignore it and let the account disappear into the void.
C) Open a new tab and log into Netflix manually to check.

If you picked A, congrats - you just got hacked! 🎉

(Okay, not really, but if it were real, a hacker would now have your credit card info.)

This is how cybercriminals trick people every single day. And guess what? The scams are getting way sneakier.

Let’s break it down - before you become their next target.

🚨 The 3 Cyber Threats That Catch Even Smart People Off Guard

1. Phishing (The "You Fell for It" Scam)

⚠️ Fake Netflix, fake Amazon, fake "your account is locked" emails - same scam, different disguise.

Scammers pretend to be legit companies so they can steal your passwords, credit card info, or worse - your entire identity.

And they count on one thing: Fear & urgency.

💡 How to avoid it:
 ✅ Pause before clicking - 99% of scams rely on making you panic.
 ✅ Hover over the link. Does it say "netflix-billing-secure.com"? FAKE.
 ✅ When in doubt, log in manually. Go to the actual website - never trust links in emails or texts.

 2. Ransomware (The "Your Files Are Locked" Attack)

Imagine waking up, opening your laptop, and instead of your usual desktop…

"Your files have been encrypted. Pay $1,000 in Bitcoin to restore access."

Your photos? Locked.
Your documents? Gone.
Your entire digital life? Held hostage.

This is ransomware - and it’s happening to businesses, hospitals, and regular people every single day.

💡 How to avoid it:
 ✅ Backup, backup, backup! Cloud + external drive. If hackers lock your files, you don’t need to pay - you just restore them.
 ✅ Think before downloading. That "urgent invoice" or "free PDF guide"? It could be malware.
 ✅ Keep your system updated. Those annoying software updates? They patch security holes that hackers love to exploit.

3. Social Engineering (The "You Got Played" Scam)

Ever gotten a call from "your bank" asking you to verify your card number?

Or an urgent email from "your boss" requesting a wire transfer ASAP?

These scams don’t need fancy malware - they just need you to believe them.

💡 How to avoid it:
 ✅ Verify before acting. If your "bank" calls, hang up and call the official number on their website.
 ✅ Be suspicious of urgency. Scammers want you to react without thinking.
 ✅ If it feels off, it probably is. Trust your gut - it’s your best security system.

Have you ever come this close to falling for a scam? Or maybe you actually did - no judgment, it happens to the best of us.

Stay secure out there!

-Sandra