The mass expansion of technology and global communication has made the world a smaller place. Never before has it been easier to speak with someone across the world in an instant.

This information has its perks, but greater connectivity can open your data to everyone. The good news, there are ways to mitigate the risks and protect your data.

The bad news is that black-hat techniques are always changing, so defensive measures must evolve as well. Cybersecurity threats are real and it's up to us to know how to protect ourselves from them.

Let's cover the immediate cybersecurity threats everyday Americans face and how to protect ourselves from them:

1 – Sextortion Email Schemes

Embedded cameras in our smart devices are great for facetiming and taking pictures for Instagram and SnapChat. But like most things, there is a dark side to this greater accessibility.

At the end of 2018, cybersecurity experts started noticing a trend in phishing attempts where people received anonymous emails threatening to release captured webcam and smartphone pictures for ransom.

In one of the most chilling types of sextortion emails, a captor will send you your login credentials and passwords to prove they have control of your system and access to compromising material. They threaten to release it unless you make a payment to an untraceable cryptocurrency address.

The kicker with these types of scams is the fact that the extortionist really has no access to your system at all. Attackers get access to passwords (sometimes old or outdated) released in data dumps that can be found online if you know where to look.

Since most of us stick to passwords that we are familiar with, and unfortunately don't change those passwords enough, it's easy to understand how these types of attacks happen. The hackers aren't looking to get super rich in one fell swoop, but if they can manage to get two or three people to pay the ransom, it's a successful score.

2 – Exploitation of IoT (Internet of Things) Devices

IoT devices are smart devices that sync to a home's Wi-Fi network and give homeowners an extra measure of control over things like lighting, heating, and cooling, and even control over cameras and motion sensors as an added layer of physical security for your property.