Welcome to day five of our Christmas CyberSecurity Tips all about Ransomware and WiFi Eavesdropping:
Ransomware
With the rocketing costs of Christmas, ransomware is one type of malware you won’t want to be faced with this December (or any time of the year really).
Ransomware is a type of malware where cybercriminals encrypt a device or files and/or other information on your computer normally. They then demand that their victims pay to have their devices/information returned to them or unencrypted.
There’s certainly a lot of debate about whether victims should pay or not, but with a proper backup strategy, including keeping those backups offline (so your backups are not encrypted), there need be no debate or consider paying in the first place.
Christmas CyberSecurity Tip #9: No antimalware is 100% – that’s a given. So, without a backup, there is always a risk that ransomware can creep into your machine. Rule #1, backup, backup, backup. Rule #2, Update, Update, Update. Make sure your operating system, Flash, Java, Adobe Reader and your antimalware are all up to date. Rule #3: do NOT click on links, or ads unless you are 100% sure of their safety – better still never click!
Wi-Fi eavesdropping
Could you be doing a spot of festive shopping at your local coffee shop? How about that WiFi hotspot that you just found in the mall? Remember that not all internet connections are secured – which is to say encrypted – and that someone may be listening in and collecting your information.
When transmitting payment details across unsecured networks, they can end up in the wrong hands. We generally use a VPN to login to our office before connecting to our bank. The VPN secures the connection to the office, and the connection to the bank is secured by our Sophos UTM. It also means our bank does not detect a ‘new connection’ and ask for more security than it might on a daily basis.
Christmas CyberSecurity Tip #10: Learn how to ensure that your WiFi connections are encrypted. Always collect email and login to your websites using HTTPS – look for that ‘S’. Consider a VPN or Virtual Private Network for all connections when you’re not inside your office.