The Ransomware Outbreak And Other Online Attacks That Stood Out In The Past Year

Here are four malicious activities, which dominated 2018 that you need to watch out for:

Ransomware Attacks

There are different types of malware out there in the open – and ransomware is one of them. This malware is dangerous, especially for businessmen, because it has the capability to prevent individuals from accessing their data. Furthermore, victims of ransomware attacks also have to pay money in order to regain access to their files.

In a study conducted by SophosLabs, they found out that the most prevalent ransomware that was intercepted from the computers of 45.3% of their respondents is WannaCry. This ransomware utilizes a worm from the early 2000s in order to highjack computers. It attacks an old Windows operating system’s vulnerability and encrypts the files of its victims. Moreover, these files could only be decrypted when you pay the cybercriminals responsible with the cryptocurrency called bitcoin.

Ransomware as a Service (RaaS)

After seeing the effect of ransomware to end-users, the creators of this malware realized that they can extort more money by selling ransomware as a service (RaaS) kits in the Dark Web. These kits enable the people who can afford them to create their own malware with ease. This do-it-yourself malware kit could increase the occurrences of ransomware attacks and infect many more businesses. That being said, there is a need to take extra precaution by applying defensive measures in order to protect your company from these attacks.

Android Malware

As people learn more about malware attacks, it has become common for them to take defensive measures to protect their computers. However, as they tighten the cybersecurity of their personal computers, they often fail to do the same for their smartphones.

Android phones are vulnerable to malware attacks too. In fact, according to the SophosLabs 2018 malware forecast, there are different kinds of Android malware that are infecting smartphones all over the world. Few of the malware that are prevalent in Android phones these days are Spyware, Banking bot, and Aggressive adware. And, through these malware attacks, cybercriminals steal user information and inflict damage to an individual or a whole company.

Exploitation of Old Vulnerabilities

It is common for people these days to overlook the value of software updates and patches. Little do they know, software developers fix overlooked bugs and improve their software’s functionalities through updates and patches. That being said, end-users make themselves more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats when they fail to update and patch their software. Software developers are actively addressing the vulnerabilities they find as people utilize their craft. Hence, it is important to keep your software and applications up-to-date. Several minutes of screen time for the white throbber is a little price to pay to keep you safe from the existing malicious activities.

Cybersecurity should never be taken lightly. And the best way to protect your business from these malicious activities is by seeking the help of IT experts from managed IT services in the Philippines like House of IT. They deliver high-quality IT services and put your business’ best interest at heart. The IT professionals from House of IT even provide IT consulting services to help you identify and fulfill your company’s information technology needs.