Most Common Types of Computer Threats & Total Security Software as Solution

 Most Common Types of Computer Threats & Total Security Software as Solution

 10 Cyber Threats in the Spotlight

Attacks on computer equipment have increased in recent months. Open networks, public Wi-Fi, remote connections, Internet of things (IoT), proximity payments, cloud computing ... The list and types of computer threats that put security at risk are long. Cybercrime is a real problem.

Knowing the dangers to the integrity of sensitive business data is the first step to ensuring its protection.

Types of Computer Threats You Need to Know

16.7 million consumers experienced identity theft in 2017 ( JavelinStrategy ), but there is much room for improvement as, according to a 2018 study by Juniper Research, cybercriminals will hijack about 33 billion records in 2023.

The Ponemon Institute for IBM study of the cost of a data breach in 2018 reveals that the average cost of a data breach to companies worldwide is $ 3.86 million and the average time it takes to identify a breach data breach is 196 days.

The first step to avoid the consequences of these attacks is to know the types of computer threats that exist. They are as follows:

• Spam. Spam is one of the most popular security threats. Many people are affected each year by spam that misrepresents their information by tricking the user into following some of the links it contains.
• Farming. It aims to convince the user to visit a malicious and illegitimate website by redirecting the legitimate URL. Once inside, the goal of cybercriminals is to get the user to give them their personal information.
• Phishing. Unfortunately, it is one of the easiest types of computer threats to execute. It consists of sending fake emails or messages that look like emails sent by legitimate companies. Thus, the user is made to think that it is a legitimate company and the chances that personal and financial information will be shared increase.
• Ransomware. "Wannacry" and "Petya" are examples of the dangerous potential of this threat. Hackers sneak into their victims' computers and restrict access to their system and files. They then request payment in exchange for retrieving control of their data.
• Computer Worm. This is a very common security threat. A worm works alone lives in the computer and spreads by sending itself to others.
• Spyware / Trojan Horse. A Trojan horse is a malicious program that looks like legitimate software. While it is installed on the user's computer, it runs automatically and spies on their system or deletes their files.
• Distributed Denial of Service Attack. (DDoS)The attacking approach is to contact a particular website or server over and over again. Increase the volume of traffic and crash the website/server. The malicious user generally uses a zombie computer network.
• Zombie Team Network. This is a way of performing various security threats. The malicious user takes the administration of multiple computers and controls them remotely.
• Malware. This is the common name given to various security threats that infiltrate and damage a computer.
• Virus. A virus is always hidden in a legitimate software or website and infects the affected computer and can spread all those that are in your contact list.

The types of computer threats increase every day putting security in check. Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself against most of them, such as Total Security Software. Caution is the best strategy.

 

Fear of Cyber Threats That Every Small Enterprises Must Know

 Fear of Cyber Threats That Every Small Enterprises Must Know

If you run a business, you need a website. Today's technology makes getting started very easy. A website is a very valuable asset for your brand, unlike a Facebook page, which could be closed at any time and for any reason. A web page is a place where your clients can find the answers to all their questions, they can even discover how to get to your physical location. And if your website is totally focused on your business, it is important that you know what computer threats you may encounter and what type of maintenance you should carry out.

According to Kaspersky Lab, 60% of SMEs disappear quickly more than six months after receiving a cyber-attack. It's easy to see why: Exposing sensitive information can damage trust with users.

The best of all? You don't need a large budget to adequately protect your website against computer threats. But you do need a proactive approach to check the security of your website and implement measures to prevent them.

7 Types of Common Computer Threats

Web security covers a wide repertoire of attacks and solutions, but here are the seven most common computer threats:

1. Malware.
2. SQL injection.
3. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).
4. Interception
5. Password attacks.
6. DDoS attack.
7. Incorrect security settings.

While there are other computer threats that can affect the security of your website, protecting your page against these seven types of cybersecurity vulnerabilities will help you stay on the right track.

1. Malware

Malware is malicious software designed to infect and damage a system. Since it is a broad term, malware encompasses vulnerabilities ranging from computer viruses to adware that can infect both computers and web pages. A website attacked by malware exposes sensitive data, including your customers' information.

Malware attacks can be very damaging for businesses, especially those that are unable to recognize them.

2. SQL Injection

Vulnerabilities often occur when a page contains a security flaw in the code that allows those with malicious intent to attack or gain control. This is commonly caused by problems in outdated WordPress plugins or other tools used on your website.

SQL Injection is a type of cyber-attack that involves malicious SQL statements or application code being injected into user input fields. This process allows attackers to gain access to the web backend or corrupted content in the database.

3. Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

This type of vulnerability, also called XSS, is another of the common types of computer threats that your website can suffer. Unlike SQL Injection, XSS occurs when lines of malicious JavaScript code are injected into a page to target users of that website, manipulating client-side scripts.

These scripts hijack user sessions via a web page's search bar or comments (via the backend). This can disrupt the web and redirect users to other malicious pages that may appear as seemingly normal-looking pages, but may actually steal your information.

4. Interception

An Interception attack occurs when a hacker captures data that users send to a website, and then uses it for their own benefit. It can be contact information or sensitive data like a credit card. Cybercriminals then sell this data or make their own purchases.

It is important to install an SSL certificate on your website to protect confidential data. SSL encrypts the connections between the visitor's browser and the web server, to establish a secure session. This protects buyers from cyberattacks, such as by Interception.

So, does your website need an SSL certificate even if you don't sell online? The answer is yes.

5. Password Attacks

Some hackers guess passwords or use dictionary tools and programs to try different combinations until they find them.

In some cases, the keylogger is also used to gain access to user accounts. The keylogger recognizes every keystroke made by a user. The results are communicated back to the hackers who initially installed these programs.

Many websites lack strong passwords, making login attempts incredibly easy. Here are some ways to protect your website:

• Request a strong and unique combination of passwords.
• Ask users to change their passwords regularly.
• Requires two-step authentication to confirm user access.

6. DDoS Attack

A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack occurs when a web server receives a lot of traffic or requests that the system is overloaded or flooded.

This is fake traffic from computers controlled by attackers, often called botnets. A botnet is a number of devices connected to the Internet that run one or more bots.

When the webserver is overloaded with traffic or requests, the web loads poorly or fails to load. With enough force behind these attacks, the web server can crash, completely disabling the page.

7. Incorrect Security Settings

This attack occurs when the security configurations of a website have security holes that can lead to various vulnerabilities. This often occurs due to a lack of proper maintenance of your page or improper configuration of the web application.

Incorrect security settings allow hackers to access private data or web functions that can completely compromise the system. In these situations, the data can also be stolen or modified.

Final Thoughts on Cyber Threats

Spending time learning about the most common vulnerabilities in web security is an important first step in defending your company's website. The second step is to take action, make changes, and install TOTAL SECURITY SOFTWARE to protect your data and that of your customers.

 

Why to Have The Best Antivirus Software?

 Why to Have The Best Antivirus Software?

Today we are connected to the internet throughout the day and we totally depend on it for our communications. Messages, chats, searches, email inquiries, in some cases even phone calls ... If just a few years ago we only had access from our homes, today it has spread to our smartphones or even to many public places (shopping centres, restaurants, outdoor areas ...)

But, although the advantages offered by having internet access are infinite, we must also be aware that it can generate some problems, the main one being viruses, Trojans or spyware, among others. To prevent them from "sneaking" into our devices and causing us significant damage, today we are going to talk about why it is important to have an antivirus, not only on our computer but on any device with which we surf the internet.

Why Install an Antivirus?

A virus can get inside our device without our realizing it, since not only by avoiding “malicious” pages we are safe from them. They can be installed by opening a pop-up window from a site we thought was safe, downloading a file we thought was harmless, etc. To avoid this virtual insecurity, it is necessary to have an antivirus that previously analyzes each movement we make of this type and gives us the go-ahead before continuing. These are the main reasons why we must have an antivirus as a virtual security method.

Malicious Web Pages.

Although common sense makes us determine which pages are safe and which ones may have malicious content, sometimes we find websites that make us download some type of code that is installed on our device without us noticing. An antivirus will warn us in case something is opened, downloaded, or is going to install something outside of the "normal" one, thus making us safe at all times.

Infected Emails.

Infected files are also easy to run via email. Not only through unknown emails or spam, but sometimes some of our contacts can send viruses without being aware of themselves; that's why it's easy for us to trust ourselves and download a file that is really malicious.

Documents.

Every document that is opened, even office files such as Word or Excel, an antivirus detects whether the source is reliable or not. Through USB it is also easy to pass malicious documents and an antivirus allows us to analyze it and eliminate any suspicion.

Data Espionage.

An antivirus also protects us from data espionage. For this, you need an antivirus that detects spyware and increases the security of our browsing when we have to enter personal information on certain pages.

Is an Antivirus Necessary on the Mobile?

If a few years ago we only used the mobile phone to call or send SMS, today we all use it to chat, check email, use countless APPs, even make voice calls ... How we use the Internet through our device Mobile makes us constantly at risk if we do not give it the proper use. We must be careful with unreliable applications that we install on our phone, since, although most are safe, there is a percentage that can put our mobile at risk.

Avoid Viruses on Your Phone

Avoid Automatic Downloads.

In addition to always downloading from safe sites, we can also protect ourselves in mobile settings. In many devices there is the option to disable the download from sites that are "unknown sources", so by checking it you will be avoiding automatic downloads when you browse pages with pop-up windows or that by mistake you end up in unreliable sites.

Responsible Navigation.

Although most web pages are already responsive, browsing from a mobile phone is not the same as from a computer. Although in most cases from the smartphone it is easier and more intuitive to operate within a site, on pages where there is a lot of advertising or pop-ups it is really exhausting. Therefore, it is necessary to navigate responsibly and try to avoid all those pages that put our online security at risk.

Antivirus on Mobile.

But even if you are careful, as we have seen sometimes it is easy for a virus to install itself without us being aware. That is why there is the possibility of having an antivirus on our mobile. The main drawback is that it will occupy space on the phone and in many cases, it will slow down its performance since it will analyze each page, download, new file ... Although there are many people for or against, if from the mobile you are going to browse that it is not always going to be security, without a doubt you should install an antivirus on your smartphone.

 

CYBER Phishing Scams: Total Security To Protect You

 CYBER Phishing Scams: Total Security

To Protect You

Online fraudsters are increasingly trying to obtain personal data such as addresses, dates of birth, passwords, bank details, or credit card numbers. To do this, the criminals contact potential victims by phone or email. The scam is called phishing - an artificial word made up of the terms password and fishing. Stolen data is often resold to other fraudsters, and bank details and credit card numbers are used for purchases on behalf of the victims. The market presents common phishing tricks and tips on how consumers can protect themselves.

Email Phishing: What Scammers Do

The perpetrators often obtained the email addresses of potential victims through address dealers. They often send potential victims manipulated file attachments or links which, after clicking, install undetected spy programs on the computer or lead to fake websites of well-known companies, for example from a bank or government agency, and recently also from streaming services such as Netflix and Maxdome. For example, on the fake pages, potential victims are asked to enter their login details.

Protection Against Phishing Emails

These precautionary measures can protect against phishing scammers:

• Be suspicious of email senders you don't Know. But e-mails from known senders can also be manipulated - if the Senders themselves have been victims of a phishing attack.

• Don't let yourself be put under time Pressure.

• Do not click links from unknown senders.

• Do not open attachments from unknown Senders.

• Do not carelessly give out personal information such as dates of birth, addresses, and bank details.

• Do not react to suspicious e-mails, for example with a reply.

• Government institutions, banks, Financial service providers, airlines, or online shops never ask their Customers to change their login details or account details without being Asked. If in doubt, call the company the email is said to have come from.

Detect Suspicious Emails

In more and more cases, fake emails can hardly be distinguished from real emails. Indications of a forgery are for example

• Missing personal address
• Misspellings, strange sentence Structure, poor writing style
• Threats
• Request to enter personal data
• Request to click attachments or links
• Unsolicited mail in English
• Companies unknown to you
• Companies you know who have never Contacted you by email before

Phishing by Phone: How Scammers Go About It

Phishing by phone often comes from professionally equipped, illegal call centres that are based abroad. Trained employees work on the telephones and have plausible answers to every objection from the person called. They pretend to be employees of large companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Sparkassen, Netflix, competition providers, or PayPal. State authorities such as public prosecutors or tax offices are also simulated. The fraudsters put the called under pressure and induce them to make quick decisions. Either to avert a supposedly greater evil. Or to get supposedly big financial gains.

Protection Against Phishing by Phone

These measures can protect against phishing attacks over the phone:

• Do not sign in by name.

• Answer in full sentences. Don't Answer questions with "yes".

• Don't let yourself be pressured.

• Never give personal details such as bank Details on the phone!

• Obtain written documents before Transferring money.

• If you receive multiple calls: block the telephone number on your telephone.

• If you have been taken by surprise and accepted an offer, cancel in writing and contact your bank to stop approved payments. Report it to the police.

 Install Protegent360's Total Security to minimize the chance of phishing attacks

 

Cyber Security & Total Security Software Training Is Must for a Business

 Cyber Security &  Total Security Software Training Is Must for a Business

In the last few days, the number of corona infections has decreased somewhat. Still, politicians don't really want to talk about easing just yet. So it remains the same with many companies: those who can send their employees to the home office.

This is an excellent opportunity for cybercriminals to continue to exploit the pandemic to launch scams, ransomware attacks, and other cyberattacks related to COVID-19. According to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), hackers are exploiting people's fear caused by the pandemic to intensify their attacks. In its report, INTERPOL highlights the following cyber threats as the most common since the pandemic began:

 

PHISHING SCAMS

Cybercriminals pretend to be health officials and government officials using COVID-19-motivated phishing emails to trick users into providing their personal information and downloading malicious content.

 

RANSOMWARE

According to the INTERPOL report, there was a significant increase in ransomware attacks against healthcare providers and critical infrastructure in the first two weeks of April 2020. These attacks came from groups that had been inactive but quickly resumed when they saw an opportunity to take advantage of the chaos created by the pandemic.

 

DATA-GATHERING MALWARE

Cybercriminals use data-gathering malware such as banking Trojans, information thieves, spyware, and remote access Trojans on vulnerable networks to steal personal data, create botnets and divert money from their victims' bank accounts to their own.

 

FRAUDULENT WEBSITES

Due to the increased demand for personal protective equipment and other medical supplies, cybercriminals are registering domain names with the keywords “COVID” or “Coronavirus”. These websites are primarily intended for phishing attacks and malware distribution.

 

Fortunately, you can prevent your company from falling victim to these cyberattacks by training your employees on security issues.

 

WHAT IS A SAFETY TRAINING COURSE?

It is often claimed that employees are the weakest link in cybersecurity. If they just negligently click on a malicious link, they can put the security of your entire company at risk. This is why safety awareness training is so important. They will give your team a better understanding of the various cybersecurity threats and risks your business faces. In insecurity training courses, your employees learn the best security procedures to protect your data and your network.

 

BENEFITS OF SAFETY TRAINING

Here are the reasons security training is important to your business.

 

Security training helps employees identify various cyber threats and risks that can endanger your company. Well-trained personnel can identify security warnings, update applications, software, and operating systems in good time, creating a strong cyber defence against costly data breaches.

 

Consumers will be reluctant to do business with companies that have been repeatedly hit by cyberattacks. But a company with cyber security-conscious employees will have a better reputation because customers will feel more secure knowing that their private information is safe.

 

With cyberattacks on the rise, organizations must comply with various cybersecurity regulations and standards to ensure that their data and that of their customers and suppliers are safe. One of the most important requirements is that companies have to train their employees on safety. Failure to meet these requirements will result in costly fines.

 

HOW TO USE SUCCESSFUL SAFETY TRAINING

Achieve the goals of your safety training by following these guidelines:

 

· Everyone has to participate, including leaders and managers. This will help create a culture of cybersecurity to ensure the confidentiality of private business information.

· Traditional training courses tend to be dull and boring, which can result in employees not taking the training seriously. To keep them hooked, create humorous videos or fun games that anyone can participate in.

·Safety awareness training is not a one-time thing. Cyber ​​threats are constantly evolving and your business needs to be able to keep up with them, so training should be held at least once a year.

·Simulations like email phishing tests occasionally need to be run without your employees' knowledge to see how well they would respond to potential threats.

 

Cyber ​​threats are ubiquitous and your business can fall victim to them at any time. To protect your company, you should Total Security Software by Protegent360.