Cyber Security: Less of an Idea, More of a Must
A lot of people take Cyber security for granted. That is, until something like the ransomware attack a couple of weeks back happens. Then suddenly, everyone is surprised that something like that could happen, when they’ve done nothing to protect themselves in the first place. Installing anti-malware software on a personal computer is one of the first things every owner should do as soon as they power it up.
The reason why this ransomware attack was so successful, is because a lot of people neglected keeping their system up-to-date. This has caused many big companies and governments to lose control over their data, which could be prevented by simply being more cautious and installing the newest version of Windows.
Moreover, a lot of people are undermining the importance of spyware removal programs. Experts say that 30% of popular spyware removal programs were able to detect and block the ransomware. It’s highly suggested that you download the anti-malware programs from a reputable source like Malwarebytes, Bitdefender and Kaspersky Lab.
Most malware, spyware and ransomware get into your computer through email or pop-up adds. Simply avoid clicking these and you should be fine. Suspicious emails are harder to notice, but you can identify them as such by simply scanning for grammatical errors, by hovering over hyperlinks without actually clicking them to see whether they lead to a legitimate website. If the email comes from a credit card company, bank or internet service provider, keep in mind that they’ll never ask for sensitive account information via email.
If you’ve already fallen victim to a malware attack, the best course of action is disconnecting it from the internet so you don’t spread the infection to other machines. Next, seek help from a professional IT service provider that specialises in data recovery. You might have an automatic data backup procedure set in place that you didn’t know about, and if that’s the case, then there’s nothing to worry about. You can erase all the infected data and restore it from the back up.
And lastly, report to a law enforcement agency. After the attacks from a few weeks ago, everyone has started taking Cyber security much more seriously, and by reporting your problem, you might help track down the hackers. Some of the most common types of malware are: the AFP (Australian Federal Police virus), the Microsoft Call Scam and general ransomware attacks like the one that occurred a few weeks ago.
Simply put, in order to optimally protect your computer from malware, keep your operating system and anti-malware software up-to-date, avoid clicking suspicious-looking links and pop ups. Have all of your data backed up to an external drive, so if you get infected you can delete everything and then re-install it. Contact an IT service professional and let him assist you in recovering and removing the malware.
