Think Before You Click

In this Bigger Brains course, you’ll learn how cybercriminals capture attention and exploit everyday business behaviors—and how to stop them before damage is done. You’ll explore the PauseVerifyProtect habit and see how applying it consistently helps you recognize phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and other costly scams. You’ll learn ways to identify common lures, urgency tactics, impersonation attempts, and scam requests across email, voice, text, and chat. You’ll also see real-world examples of vishing and smishing and learn how small moments of pause can prevent big mistakes. 

In the second half of the course, you’ll explore the broader risks that show up in daily work, including unsafe QR codes, card readers, USB devices, risky downloads, and malicious ads. You’ll learn safe practices for opening files, downloading software, and responding when something suspicious occurs on your device. You’ll also learn how to protect accounts and data by using strong, unique credentials, password managers, passkeys, and secure cloud-sharing settings. Finally, you’ll see how approved accounts, single sign-on, and appropriate recovery actions help limit damage and support your organization’s overall security—giving you practical habits you can use every day, regardless of technical background. 

Topics covered include: 

• Applying the Pause-Verify-Protect habit to keep yourself safe online  

• Identifying the lures used to get your attention  

• Defining Business Email Compromise (BEC), phishing, and spear phishing 

• Using the Pause-Verify-Protect habit to block expensive scams 

• Identifying voice, text, and chat scams, including vishing and smishing 

• Recognizing common scam requests for codes or money and knowing when to stop and report 

• Identifying common cyber risks involving QR codes, card readers, and USB devices 

• Recognizing signs of tampering, skimmers, and unsafe charging options and choosing safer alternatives 

• Identifying risky files, downloads, and ads that may contain malware 

• Applying safe practices for opening documents and downloading software 

• Creating and managing strong, unique credentials using a password manager, passkeys, and recovery options 

• Configuring cloud sharing settings to limit access and prevent data leaks 

• Discussing appropriate recovery actions to limit impact and support organizational security 

Enjoy award winning HD content in the “Uniquely Engaging”TM Bigger Brains Teacher-Learner style! Taught by top subject matter experts, Bigger Brains courses are professionally designed around key learning objectives and include captions and transcripts, downloadable handouts, and optional LinkedIn digital badges on course completion.