SLK Blog

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In recent weeks Google has seen more than 18 million daily malware and phishing emails related to COVID-19. 

 

Spam is annoying and dangerous. It’s also everywhere. With the current coronavirus crisis, cybercriminals are hard at work with securing domains and emails to take advantage of people’s fear and need for information. There has been a significant increase in both potentially malicious websites and scam emails being sent through the web. Emails like CDC-Covid19@cdc[.]gov. look like highly credible sources, but only lead to hackers taking advantage of your lack of knowledge. Hackers may even create content that you think is real, and while you are visiting their site, they have full access to your information. You may have seen the Coronavirus map below and might have thought of it as credible. Beware, because while you are viewing the map hackers are downloading malware onto your computer. 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken the world by storm. Many of us are worried about the current climate and how to proceed in these uncertain times. Globally, businesses and individuals are doing their best to adapt to the changing situations, with many staying indoors for health and safety reasons. As many businesses shift from offices to remote work, employees at all levels attempt to adapt to the new reality.

For those that are able to work from home, it can sometimes be daunting changing a routine. Being used to commuting, changing space and environment, breathing different air, staying home can feel daunting. Moreover, office communication and transparency, agenda setting and collaboration are all key in bringing a company forward. As we all attempt to move forward together, Here are some tips and free tools for your business to use to make remote work and working from home a little easier.

Most of these tools are free to use, they may have different pricing packages and trials available, so as you get into a new routine, find what works best for you and your employees.

Whether it’s for social media, work, shopping, or your own business, you have a password. Hopefully, more than one. But are those passwords really as secure as you think they are? Recently even Bill Burr, regarded as the father of the modern password, has said even he has regrets on the advice he gave on password strength.

So how do you improve your passwords to make sure they are as secure as they can be? Here are some simple tips:

1. Use multiple passwords

You’ve probably heard this before but are you actually putting it into practice? Creating a new password for every account you have may seem tedious at first but there is nothing worse than a hacker getting a hold of one of your accounts and now having access to all of them. A good tip for creating multiple passwords is to stick to a central theme to create passwords for certain sites. For example, all of your social media passwords may start with the letter “H”, or maybe all your work accounts have a fruit related word in them.

2. Keep it simple… sort of

When we say keep it simple we don’t mean name your passwords “Password!1”. Use difficult to guess yet easy to remember words or phrases rather than a short, complicated string of numbers, letters, and symbols. Speaking with CBS news, Burr said “It's probably better to do fairly long passwords that are phrases or something like that that you can remember than to try to get people to do lots of funny characters,".

The trick here is the length rather than the complexity. The longer the password the harder it is for a hacker to brute force their way into. That said, it doesn’t hurt to add a few numbers and symbols into your passwords, just try to put them in less predictable places.

3. Do not share your passwords!

Again, if this one seems obvious to you, that’s a good thing. You should never share your passwords with anyone, not even close friends. Sharing your passwords either online or in public increases the potential of someone learning your password that you didn’t intend.

If using a group or company account where there is no individual access password, be sure everyone in the group is aware that this information is confidential. Furthermore, be careful of where you log in with your passwords. If you are on a public computer or using public Wi-Fi, you may not be as secure as you think. Think twice before signing in with your precious information.

4. Consider a password manager

There are a variety of free programs and web services out there that allow you to generate powerful passwords for every site you go to but only require you to remember one master password.

These managers are great for work or home computers where you may be frequenting several sites on a regular basis and don’t want to constantly try to remember everyone of your passwords.

So, the next time you're asked to create a password, keep these tips in mind and remember a strong password is hard to guess but easy to remember.

Whenever you receive an email or letter parcel asking for information regarding your domain and you are unsure about it, don’t hesitate to contact us for clarification. These emails are created to scare you into providing personal information without investigating. They use words and phrases like ‘final’, ‘failure to pay’, ‘failure to reply’, ‘and immediate attention required’. These are all used to trigger the fear of the unknown. Always remember to take some extra steps to verify when your personal information is requested.

For most of us the Internet has become an irreplaceable force in our lives. Just by surfing the web and punching in vital personal information, we can conduct many of our daily activities such as, banking, grocery shopping and applying for health insurance, etc. Many of us are aware of the threats that malware, viruses and Trojans pose to our information but there is a growing threat worldwide that can actually cost you a hefty price tag.

What’s the name of this new threat?
Its name is RANSOMWARE, which is a type of malware that prohibits or limits people from accessing their computer – putting your vital personal information at risk. Users are then forced to pay a ransom so they can access their computers again, pretty serious stuff.

How can Ransomware infect your computer?
Your computer can become infected with ransomware in different ways.
1) It can secretly be installed on to your computer with out you knowing or realizing it until its too late.
2) It can act as a legitimate file and then infect your computer once its been installed. This method is known as a Trojan and according to the FBI, the Trojan known as CRYPTOWALL had accumulated over $18,000,000 from early 2014 to June 2015.

Major Ransomware Events
Just recently the Kansas Heart Hospital in Wichita had all their systems and records locked for a ransom – the amount is undisclosed. The Hospital gave in and paid their ransom but all they received was “partial access” and a second demand for more money. The Hospital’s President, Dr. Greg Duick refuses to pay the second demand, calling it unwise. Another high-profile case was the attack on Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. Their internal I.T. Systems were attacked and the hospital paid 40 Bitcoins which is the equivalent of $17,000 to gain back access.

What should you do if you are a victim of Ransomware?
The FBI urges and advises victims not to give in and pay the ransom because the money can be funding a criminal organization.

What can SLK do for you?
Our team of experts can perform regular back ups on your systems so there is an option to revert back to a stable version, keeping your work safe and secure.