9 Tips to Choose the Best Antivirus | Free Antivirus

Are you looking for the best antivirus or the best security solution for the IT maintenance of your SME? There are so many options on the market that you may not know what to choose. Surely you have heard thousands of times how important it is to have an antivirus, but you may not know what criteria it has to meet to achieve the best security for your company.

On some occasions, we have talked about the importance of making backup copies as the safest method to protect your company's information.

Today we are going to guide you in the most important aspects that you

Today we are going to guide you in the most important aspects that you have to take into account to choose the best antivirus option for your SME.

With more than a quarter of a million new malicious programs being detected every day, it is clear that everyone needs the protection of a good antivirus product. Having it will not guarantee us to be free from threats, but we will make it more difficult.

It doesn't matter if you work on Windows, Android, or macOS: there is malware that makes its way to your computer. But what kind of antivirus software should you get? Will you have to pay for it, or is the free antivirus good enough? Is anti-malware software the same as anti-virus software? Why are there so many different types of antivirus software, even from just one brand? And does the use of antivirus software pose a risk to computer equipment?

The answers to all these questions are complicated, but we are going to try to give you some basic advice while you decide on the best protection for your SME IT.

1. A Free Antivirus That Offers Good Protection, but Pay Offers More Features

Some free antivirus products will protect your computer systems extremely well from malware. But paid products tend to have a lot more extra features, especially on Windows. You just have to keep in mind that in most cases you will have to spend an annual subscription. Most people tend to go for less expensive products, and while this is a good general approach, it is not always the best. In the case of security products, that means looking for the cheapest product that meets your needs and offers the protection you need. That product might not be the least expensive on the market. On the other hand, imagine how much it will cost you if you buy a bargain security product that cannot protect your personal files against ransomware threats.

2. Look for a Light System Load

It is true that any antivirus program will use up some of your computer's resources, but a good antivirus program should keep your system free of malware without significantly slowing down your system's performance. In testing, the best antivirus software is hardly a drag on performance.

3. A Near-perfect Detection Rate

Since the role of antivirus software is to detect threats, it should do so flawlessly. Seek certification from a respected third-party testing organization.

You will need to ensure that your antivirus software stops more than 95% of malware, whether it is common malware or new malware. But make sure that the detection rate is not accompanied by a high rate of false positives, which are benign files mistakenly identified as malware.

4. An Intuitive Interface

Because antivirus software can be customized, it is important that the interface guides users through the various settings.

5. Daily Updates

Provide up-to-date protection. An antivirus solution that uses old and outdated malware definitions is a weak product. Viruses continually evolve, they never stop, so antivirus must do that too. A good antivirus is a product that is constantly updated, several times a day.

6. Consider the Reputation

This may seem a bit conservative, but in the IT security market, reputation matters. Buying and using a security product from a reputable company is usually a safer bet than jumping in with a security product from an unknown company. Good security solutions tend to stay good as time goes on.

7. Antivirus Alone or Security Suite?

Antivirus software comes as a standalone program, but you can also purchase it as part of a comprehensive security suite. Security suites, covered in our separate report on Internet security software, are more expensive, but include a range of protections, with antivirus, antispyware and antispam programs, identity theft protection, firewalls, and parental controls. 

8. Check the System Requirements

Make sure the antivirus program you choose works with your Windows or Mac operating system. If you have an older computer, a large antivirus software program can consume a large percentage of your computing power and may have compatibility issues.

9. Avoid Conflicts

Antivirus software rarely works very well with similar products from different vendors. Before installing third-party software, completely uninstall any pre-existing security software.

An Overview of the Most Dangerous Ransomware Viruses in 2020 | Cloud Antivirus

For decades, cybercriminals have successfully exploited flaws and vulnerabilities on the World Wide Web. However, in recent years, there has been a clear increase in the number of attacks, as well as an increase in their rate - attackers are becoming more dangerous and malware is spreading at a rate never seen before.

Introduction

We are talking about the ransomware that made an incredible leap in 2020, causing damage to thousands of organizations around the world. For example, in Australia, ransomware attacks such as WannaCry and NotPetya have even raised government concerns. To summarize the ransomware “successes” this year, we will look at the 10 most dangerous and most damaging organizations. Hopefully next year we will learn lessons and prevent this kind of problem from entering our networks.

1. NotPetya

The ransomware attack began with the Ukrainian accounting software MEDoc, which replaced 1C, which was banned in Ukraine. In just a few days, NotPetya infected hundreds of thousands of computers in over 100 countries. This malware is a variant of the older Petya ransomware, except that the NotPetya attacks used the same exploit as the WannaCry attacks. As it spread, NotPetya affected several organizations in Australia, such as the Cadbury chocolate factory in Tasmania, which had to temporarily shut down their entire IT system. The ransomware also managed to infiltrate the world's largest container ship, owned by Maersk, which reportedly lost up to $ 300 million in revenue.

2. WannaCry

This ransomware, terrible in scale, has practically taken over the entire world. Its attacks used the infamous EternalBlue exploit, which exploits a vulnerability in the Microsoft Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. WannaCry infected victims in 150 countries and over 200,000 machines on the first day alone. We have published a personal file of this sensational malware.

3. Locky

Locky was the most popular ransomware in 2016, but it has not stopped operating in 2020. New variants of Locky, dubbed Diablo and Lukitus, emerged this year, using the same attack vector (phishing) to target exploits. Locky was behind the Australian Post email fraud scandal.

4. CrySis

This instance excelled in its masterful use of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). RDP is one of the most popular ways to distribute ransomware, as cybercriminals can thus compromise machines that control entire organizations.

5. Nemucod

Nemucod is spread using a phishing email that looks like an invoice for shipping services. This ransomware downloads malicious files stored on compromised websites. In terms of phishing emails, Nemucod is second only to Locky.

6. Jaff

Jaff is similar to Locky and uses similar techniques. This ransomware is not remarkable for its original methods of distributing or encrypting files; on the contrary, it combines the most successful practices.

7. Spora

To distribute this type of ransomware, cybercriminals hack legitimate sites by adding JavaScript code to them. Users visiting such a site will receive a pop-up warning prompting them to update their Chrome browser to continue browsing the site. After downloading the so-called Chrome Font Pack, users became infected with Spora.

8. Cerber

One of the many attack vectors that Cerber uses is called RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service). According to this scheme, cybercriminals offer to pay for the distribution of the Trojan, promising a percentage of the money received for this. This “service” allows cybercriminals to send out ransomware and then provide other attackers with tools to distribute.

9. Cryptomix

It is one of the few ransomware that does not have a specific type of payment portal available within the dark web. Affected users must wait for cybercriminals to email them instructions. Cryptomix victims were users from 29 countries, they were forced to pay up to $ 3,000.

10. Jigsaw

Another malware from the list that started its activity in 2016. Jigsaw inserts an image of a clown from the Saw movie series into spam emails. As soon as the user clicks on the image, the ransomware not only encrypts but also deletes the files in case the user delays in paying the ransom, the size of which is $ 150.

Conclusions

As we can see, modern threats are using increasingly sophisticated exploits against well-protected networks. While increased employee awareness is helping to cope with the impact of infections, businesses need to go beyond basic cybersecurity standards to protect themselves. Defending against today's threats requires proactive approaches that leverage real-time analysis capabilities based on a learning engine that includes understanding the behavior and context of threats. You have to more depend on cloud antivirus rather than traditional antivirus so that your security protection will be totally cared for by the cloud server organization.

Cybersecurity Tips for Business | Use Cloud Antivirus Service

The Internet is constantly growing and improving, thanks to this we can now communicate freely with people all over the world. With the spread of Wi-Fi, we began to create devices that also connect to the Internet by transmitting data over the network. This is great, but the flip side of the coin is that every person connected to the Internet on the planet now has their own networks and their own data, which can become a victim of theft.

We believe that raising awareness of these vulnerabilities and educating the public can make the internet a little safer. It will be useful for businesses to learn about such effective information security measures as employing hackers, simulating phishing for their employees, and cyber insurance policies.

Basic Rules to Prevent Cybercrime Against Small Business

1. Be Careful With What You Post About Yourself and Others

How you talk about others on the Internet reveals a lot about your own personality. In addition, you can get yourself in trouble with the law or even become vulnerable to theft or burglary. People can track what you say online - so if you said you were going on vacation for the week, it should be easy for a potential burglar to find your address. Caution should be exercised about violations of NDAs, employment contracts, and other agreements that you have signed. In addition, it may be a violation of the law to disclose someone else's personal information or publicly accuse a person without any evidence.

2. Understand What Data Your Company Collects - and Make Sure It is Protected

In order to keep your business data safe, you must audit and determine which of them is public information (and therefore should not be closely guarded), which are of medium importance, so that they will not greatly affect the business. in the event of a leak (some security measures should be established for them) and, finally, which data is most important and confidential. The last category of data will greatly affect the business in the event of theft - and it must be protected as reliably as possible with the strictest access rights for employees and partners.

3. Use Multiple Authentication Factors

Authentication is the act of confirming identity (whether a user, computer, or other devices) by comparing the provided credentials with an existing database of authorized users before allowing a given system or application to access the system. For example, entering a username and password to access your email account. But instead of relying only on passwords, which are becoming increasingly insecure, we recommend using multiple factors for authentication. These factors include some user secrets (for example, username/password, answer to a secret question), some of their physical property (for example, digital certificate, smart card), and some biometric factor (for example, fingerprint, face recognition).

4. Enable Https for Your Site

An SSL / TLS certificate is installed on the server to activate HTTPS. This certificate encrypts all data between the browser and the server, be it personal or financial information that is entered on a web page, or the content of pages. In this way, information is protected from outsiders (for example, from intruders and government surveillance). SSL certificates can also tie your brand to a website: this allows visitors to verify that your site really belongs to your company and not a scammer (in the case of a phishing site). The EV SSL certificate clearly demonstrates this by coloring your browser address bar green and showing your company name.

5. Use Strong and Unique Passwords

Many black hackers sell data that they managed to get after hacking. This includes information about thousands, if not millions, of users and their passwords. If you use the same password on every account, then it becomes a trivial task for a hacker to gain access to all of your systems. Or a hacker can brute force the password. It is much more difficult if the password is long, composed of a variety of characters, and does not contain words from the dictionary. Use a password manager to ensure you don't forget unique passwords for each service.

6. Update All Software

Hackers are always looking for new vulnerabilities in the software your business is using. Finding them is as easy as finding a path on your Windows network. At the same time, the software companies themselves are working hard to release patches to fix these vulnerabilities, so it is very important to update the software as soon as an update is released.

7. Back Up All Data

Backups ensure that files can be recovered in the event of data loss. You should always store your data in different locations, physically separated, so that hackers cannot access everything at once. And the backups need to be updated regularly.

8. Install a Firewall on the Internet Gateway

Firewalls are designed to prevent unauthorized access to the private network. A set of rules can be established to determine which traffic is allowed and which is denied. A good firewall should monitor both inbound and outbound traffic.

9. Use the Cloud Antivirus

Cloud services are a useful tool, especially for small and medium-sized companies that want to place their data under the protection of a large company. When registering with a cloud antivirus provider, it is important to make sure you know everything about it. Where are the data centers, where exactly your data is stored, and how you can access it?

10. Security Training for Employees

From time to time security training should be arranged for employees to educate them about various cyber threats.

• Establish rules for using your own devices in the workplace
• Create an incident response strategy
• Training employees to work with passwords
• Make sure employees check for the letter s in https when they search the web
• Use secure email communications and provide training on the risks of phishing attacks
• Leaders must spread a culture of cybersecurity
• Simulation of phishing to keep employees in good shape - in a playful way for interest

What to Do if I Receive Fraudulent Emails | Antivirus Software

Please note, many fraudulent emails are currently circulating in order to recover your personal and banking data. This scam technique is called "phishing". How to recognize a phishing attempt? What steps should you take, especially with your bank, if you are a victim of phishing?

What is Internet Phishing?

Phishing (or “phishing”)  is an Internet scam technique increasingly used by hackers to steal personal data such as:

• your name and address,
• your contact details (telephone, postal address, etc.),
• your date of birth,
• your bank account number,
• your social security number,
• your Internet connection details for banking or merchant sites ...
• your e-mail username and password, etc. 

To obtain this information, the hackers send a  fraudulent e-mail that appears to come from the Administration  (tax service, health insurance, family allowance fund),  a bank, or a recognized company  (telephone operator, operator of energy, e-commerce site, etc.).

How to Recognize a Fraudulent Email?

The sender's email address includes the name of the organization or company whose identity has been spoofed but often contains anomalies (inconsistencies in the logo, text, spelling errors, etc.). It is one of the first things to look out for to prevent personal data theft.

The content of the email is not personalized (for example, it begins with "dear customer"). The body of the message can contain an image instead of the text to prevent the detection of the mail by the spam filters.

The email invites you in a short time:

• to respond directly to the e-mail by providing personal data,
• to click on a link to complete a form,
• or open an attachment. 

In the typical fraudulent e-mail, the excuses often put forward are the following: an update of your personal data, the verification of a debt, a payment, the imminent deactivation of your account, a reward, or a discount (for example a tax reduction).

In general, the email may contain either a  link that refers to a fraudulent website strongly resembling the official website of the company or organization in question (site URL address, the home page, and logo almost identical), or an attachment (form to fill in, the program to run, etc.).

Either way, you risk giving information to crooks and infecting your computer with a virus that will pick up whatever you type on your keyboard and send it to the crook.

What Are the Precautions to Take After Receiving a Fraudulent Email?

If you have received a suspicious email  :

• do not answer the email,
• Report the fraudulent email and the offense of which you have been the victim to the competent authorities on the Internet platform
• forward it to the address alert@securite.lcl.fr if this email mentions LCL
• do not click on any link contained in the email / do not open the attachments,
• destroy the email,
• update your computer's protection system (antivirus software, firewall, anti-spyware). 

If you have any doubts, call the organization or company in question directly before answering the email.

If you have already replied to a fraudulent email  :

• notify the organization whose identity has been spoofed and change inadvertently transmitted passwords;
• check your bank statements and make sure that no amount has been withdrawn irregularly. If not, contact your bank immediately to object.

What is Phishing? And How to Avoid Scams Like That?

Phishing messages (or phishing scam ) are among the biggest dangers on the internet. These fraud attempts arrive via email, social networks, WhatsApp, and the like, and can result in serious consequences for victims, especially financial loss.

It is to help you protect yourself against this danger so often that this text was written: in it, you will understand what phishing is, you will know how this type of message tries to deceive you and you will see tips on how to prevent yourself.

What is Phishing?

The term phishing refers to the English word fishing, which means "Pescara", in free translation. The association with this activity is not a mere chance: phishing scam is an attempted fraud on the Internet that uses "baits", that is, devices to attract a person's attention and make him perform some action.

If the individual "takes the bait", he may end up informing strangers of bank details or other confidential information, only realizing late on that he was the victim of online fraud. In the same way, you can infect your computer or smartphone with a virus or other malware.

Phishing often arrives via email, but it can also exploit other means, such as SMS, social networks, and instant messaging services, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger.

Typically, messages of this type are created to appear to be issued by well-known institutions, such as banks, telephone operators, government agencies (such as the IRS or some DMV), and credit card administrators, although they can also impersonate individuals.

This is one of the main features of phishing scams. Another is the arguments used to convince the user to click on a questionable link or file that accompanies the message.

Main Dangers of Phishing

Arroba - illustrative image a person receives a phishing scam message and does not realize that they are facing fraudulent content, they can take an action that will result in financial loss or other inconvenience.

An e-mail of the type that passes for bank notice, for example, can guide the user to click on a link to update a record. In doing so, the person will fall on a fake website, but very similar to that of the banking institution. If you do not notice that that page is not legitimate, it will provide sensitive data, such as the current account number and account access password.

This type of fraud is so common that, today, many banks use complementary protection measures, such as requiring an extra code sent by SMS or application or allowing the user to access the account only from registered cell phones or computers.

In a more sophisticated scheme, the message may contain an attachment or link that points to malware. If the user executes it, the plague will install on his computer or mobile device and will be able to perform a series of actions, such as recording typed data, capturing user files, or monitoring his activities on the web.

Another possible consequence of phishing is to confirm that the user's email or mobile number is active. After that, the person will start receiving other messages of the type of SPAM (unsolicited e-mails) and can still be classified as a "potential target": when executing the action of the first message, he told the scammers not to know how to identify misleading content.

Variations can affect the user in other ways. A person can, for example, accept an invitation to a supposed game on a social network. In doing so, the malicious application can automatically issue invitations to other users. These, upon realizing that the invitation came from an acquaintance, will be able to accept it, continuing the scheme.

It doesn't end there. Other examples of problems: the user's computer, if infected by malware, can emit SPAMs; accounts on online services can be hacked thanks to the capture of passwords and usernames; the person may make purchases on a fraudulent website and, for this reason, not receive the product; and so on.

What if the Phishing Has My Full Name or Social Security Number?

It may happen that phishing has your full name, social security number, or other personal information. The objective here is obvious: with this data, it is easier to convince you of something.

Fortunately, this type of message is unusual. What happens is that, in some way, the fraudster had access to a database with people records. This is possible, for example, when an online store is hacked or when an employee of a company improperly resells information.

Therefore, even when the message contains personal data, do not disregard the possibility of an attempted coup there.

Tips to Protect Yourself From Phishing

It is practically impossible to prevent scams from reaching you, but a few simple precautions help you get rid of the danger:

• The first is to observe the characteristics of the message (visual, spelling errors, suspicious links, persuasive arguments, among others), as explained above;
• Remember that debt notices, court summons, or registration requests, for example, are not usually made by email or social media, but by correspondence sent to your home or workplace. Do not be carried away by the threatening or alarmist tone of the message;
• Be suspicious of very generous offers. Nobody will give you prizes for contests that you are not participating in or will offer a product with a price much lower than what is practiced by the market. If you are required to pay a fee or make a cash contribution, you can be sure that it is fraud;
• Be careful with your curiosity and be wary of sensational news, conspiracy theories or news that cannot be confirmed in renowned vehicles;
• If you have doubts about the legitimacy of a message, contact the mentioned company or institution by phone or official website to ask for clarification;
• Use total security software and update your software, especially browsers. They can block inadvertent clicks on malicious files or links;
• If you are sure that a message is phishing, delete it immediately. You can also mark it as spam when possible. This is because, depending on the service used, if a significant number of users mark a message as such, it can be automatically blocked in other people's accounts;
• Pass these guidelines on to family, friends, co-workers and other close people to prevent them from falling victim to the problem.

I Fell Into Phishing. What to Do?

• If you took any action due to the influence of phishing, you must act soon. If you have entered a fake bank website and entered your personal data, for example, you must immediately contact the bank to block your account and obtain a new password. If you have already passed your credit card details, it is important to contact the operator to cancel it and check for unrecognized entries.
• If you've clicked on malware, it's a good idea to check your computer or mobile device with an up-to-date, reliable antivirus. In addition, it may also be a good idea to change passwords entered after contamination.
• In the event of injury or any other considerable inconvenience, do not hesitate to seek guidance from law enforcement or judicial authorities.

What is Computer Virus and Malware? What Are Their Types?

Computer viruses are small programs capable of causing great inconvenience to individuals, companies, and other institutions, after all, they can erase data, capture information, alter or impede the operation of the operating system, and so on. As if that were not enough, there are other similar software, such as  Trojan horses,  worms, hijackers,  spyware, and ransomware. In this text, you will learn a little about how these true "digital plagues" act and learn the basic differences between them.

Before, What is Malware?

It is common for people to call viruses any program for malicious purposes. But, as the first paragraph of the text indicates, there are several types of "digital plagues", viruses being just one category of them.

Currently, a more heated term is used to generalize these programs: the name malware, a combination of the words malicious and software which means "malicious program". Therefore, malware is nothing more than a name created for when we need to refer to malicious software, be it a virus, worm, spyware, etc.

It is important to note that the word "computer" is used in this text in the broadest way, considering the various types of computing devices that exist: desktops, servers, smartphones, tablets, and so on.

It is also worth noting that malware is not limited to a single platform. There are those who think, for example, that there are only digital plagues for Windows, but that is not true. What happens is that the Microsoft family of operating systems is more popular and therefore more targeted. As there is no 100% secure software, malware can also be developed to attack any other platform, after all, there is always someone willing to discover and exploit its deficiencies.

What is a Computer Virus?

Illustrative image of virusesAs you already know, a  virus is a program with malicious purposes, capable of causing inconvenience with the most diverse types of actions: there are viruses that erase or alter users' files, which impair the functioning of the operating system by damaging or altering its functionality, which cause excess traffic on networks, among others.

Viruses, like any other type of malware, can be created in several ways. The first ones were developed in programming languages ​​like C and Assembly. Today, it is possible to even find tools that help in its creation.

How Do Viruses Act?

Viruses receive this name because they have propagation characteristics that resemble real viruses, that is, biological ones: when a virus contaminates a computer, in addition to carrying out the action for which it was programmed, it also tries to spread itself to other machines, just as they do biological viruses in the invading organisms.

In the past, viruses had a very limited range of action: they spread, for example, whenever a contaminated floppy disk was read on the computer. With the emergence of the internet, however, this situation has changed dramatically, for the worse.

This is because, with the internet, viruses can spread much faster and infect a much more significant number of computers. For this, they can explore several means, among them:

• Security flaws ( bugs ): operating systems and other programs are not perfect software and can contain flaws. These, when discovered by people with malicious purposes, can be exploited by viruses, allowing contamination of the system, often without the user noticing;
• E-mails: this is one of the most explored practices. The user receives messages that try to convince him to execute a file attached or present on a link. If the user does it without realizing that he is being deceived, his computer will surely be contaminated;
• Downloads: the user can download a file from a specific website without realizing that it may be infected.

Viruses can also spread through a combination of means. For example, a person in an office can execute an e-mail attachment and thereby contaminate your computer. Then this same virus can try to exploit security holes in other computers on the network to infect them.

Other Types of Malware

As you already know, viruses are not the only malware that exists. The definition of what the pest is or does not depend essentially on its actions and ways of propagation. Here are the most common types:

Trojan Horse (Trojan)

Trojan horses  (or  Trojans ) are a type of malware that allow some way of remote access to the computer after infection. This type of pest can have other features, such as capturing user data to transmit it to another machine.

In order to be able to enter the computer, the Trojan horse usually passes for another program or file. The user can, for example, download it thinking that it is a tool for a specific purpose when, in fact, it is a trojan.

This type of malware is not designed to replicate itself. When this happens, it is usually a joint action with a virus.

Worm

The worms  (or maggots) can be interpreted as a more intelligent type of virus than others. The main difference is in the form of propagation: worms can spread to other computers quickly - either over the internet or via a local network - automatically.

It is explained: in order to act, the virus needs to have the "support" of the user. This occurs, for example, when a person downloads an infected attachment from an email and executes it. Worms, in turn, can infect the computer in a totally discrete way, exploiting flaws in applications or the operating system itself. Of course, a worm can also rely on a user's action to spread, as generally this type of malware is created to infect as many computers as possible, making any means that allow it to be acceptable.

Spyware

Spywares are programs that "spy" on users' activities or capture information about them. To infect a computer, spyware is often "embedded" in the software of questionable origin, often offered as freeware or shareware.

The captured data is later transmitted over the internet. This information can range from user browsing habits to passwords.

Keylogger

Keyloggers are small applications that can be embedded in viruses, spyware, or software of doubtful origin. Its function is to capture everything that is typed by the user. It is one of the ways used to capture passwords.

Hijacker

Hijackers are programs or scripts that "hijack" internet browsers. The main victims were the older versions of Internet Explorer. A hijacker can, for example, change the browser's home page and prevent the user from changing it, display advertisements in new windows, install toolbars, and prevent access to certain websites (pages of antivirus companies, for example). Fortunately, today's browsers have more security features, considerably limiting the action of this type of digital pest.

Rootkit

This is one of the most dangerous types of malware. They can be used for various purposes, such as capturing user data. So far, nothing new. What makes rootkits so threatening is their ability to hinder their detection by antivirus or other security software. In other words, rootkits are able to "camouflage" themselves in the system. For this, rootkit developers can make use of several advanced techniques, such as infiltrating malware into active processes in memory, for example.

In addition to being difficult to detect, rootkits are also difficult to remove. Fortunately, their complexity of development means that they are not very numerous.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malware with a bolder "purpose": once active, the pest can block or limit (or allow its creator to do it remotely) access to files, folders, applications, entire storage units or even prevent the use of the operating system. To release these resources, the ransomware usually shows messages demanding payments. It is as if the computer has been hijacked.

To convince the user to pay the required amount, the message may contain threats or blackmail, saying, for example, that important data will be deleted or that private images of the person will be published on the internet if payment is not made.

Users who have their computer infected with ransomware should not give in to pressure and pay, not least because, not infrequently, nothing happens when this is done. Ideally, the person should use security software (endpoint security software) to try to remove the pest or, if unsuccessful, look for someone they can trust to do so.

What is the Damage Caused by Ransomware | Total Security

If you are infected with ransomware, you will not be able to perform normal operations such as encrypting files stored on your PC or changing your password. It features a warning screen when you try to access your data, asking you to pay in exchange for recovering your data. Malicious threats have also been reported, such as gradual deletion of data at regular intervals if payment requests are not followed.

In addition, there is a risk that not only will the files on the infected PC be encrypted, but the data on another storage connected to the PC will also be encrypted. In addition, ransomware has caused damage by changing the target, scale, and system shape several times. Information should always be gathered as ransomware threats continue to exist.

Cases of Damage Caused by Ransomware

Reveton

Ransomware that spread around 2012. It gets into your PC as a Trojan horse and locks your system for fictitious reasons as you download pirated software or illegal porn on your infected PC. The notification is disguised as if it was sent by the police, and it is devised to display the user's IP address on the screen.

WannaCry

It is said to be the largest attack in history, and in 2017, more than 200,000 large-scale infections in 150 countries were confirmed. Damage reports from Japanese companies have also been confirmed. WannaCry spread the infection by exploiting a security flaw, a "vulnerability" that Microsoft could not address. The infection has spread not only to individuals and businesses but also to government agencies and hospitals, causing confusion in Europe, such as hospital closures due to damage.

Transmission Route

It is said that there are two main routes of ransomware infection: "website" and "email". Let's understand the characteristics of each to prevent infection.

Website

Techniques such as WannaCry that attack security vulnerabilities are also cases of using websites. When an attacker creates a website with a virus and a user browses it, it becomes infected with ransomware. Even if it is a legitimate website, an attacker invaded and unknowingly rewrote the program. Recently, it has spread in the corporate network through infected terminals, and there is a strong tendency to target companies that are not well managed and cannot frequently update security.

Other reports have shown that users can install ransomware themselves. For example, when you visit a particular site, the site will appear garbled and you will be prompted to install the font. Clicking the install button is a way to install ransomware instead of fonts.

Email

In the case of email, a Trojan horse-like technique that infects ransomware by opening links and attachments in the text is a standard. If you misunderstand that the email has important content such as an invoice or out-of-office notification and open the document file, the device will be infected with ransomware. The content of the email may be spam or targeted email.

In the case of spam mail, it can be automatically eliminated to some extent by using the junk mail filter. On the other hand, in the case of targeted emails, the emails are sent as if they were related parties, so you need to make your own judgment. If you do not know the danger of ransomware, you may open it by mistake, so take measures such as strengthening security software and regularly checking whether your PC is up to date.

How to Protect From Ransomware Infection

There is no authoritative option to protect your data from ransomware infection but using a new generation antivirus like total security can extend your level of security to a new height.