Fifty-five speed and red-light cameras in the Australia’s state of Victoria were infected with the WannaCry ransomware. The incident took place last week and was brought to light by a local radio station. According to current information, the infection took place during maintenance operations, as a human operator connected an infected USB to the devices, which were apparently running on a Windows OS.
The AdGholas malvertising threat group conducted a new campaign in May and June 2017 using the Astrum exploits kit to infect victims with Mole ransomware – an unusual change-up for these adversaries, who historically have favored banking trojans, according to researchers from Trend Micro and Proofpoint.
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Skype has crashed for millions of people around the world, following recent updates by Microsoft. The problems began yesterday, but have continued through to today, with users in Europe appearing to be the worst affected. A group of cyber criminals has claimed that they are behind the attack, but this is yet to be confirmed by Microsoft. Microsoft, who owns Skype, has confirmed the issue on Twitter, referring to the outage as a ‘global incident.’
The number of different families of ransomware is ever-growing and has risen to almost 10 million known samples of the file-encrypting malware – while the most stealthy forms of malicious software have also boomed. That figure is up from six million ransomware samples just one year ago, representing a 59 percent increase, say figures in the latest McAfee Labs Quarterly Threats Report.
Essential Tips to Prevent Virus Infections
Online security and the protection of your computer are our main goals but these are also a matter you should take seriously to avoid unwanted infections. That is why we insist you follow a few essential steps we cannot do for you and which will prevent your computer from getting infected.Essential Tips to Prevent Virus InfectionsEssential Tips to Prevent Virus Infections
Keep Java, Adobe Flash and Acrobat Reader updated at all times, or uninstall them if you do not use them!
Why? Nowadays viruses and malware bypass antivirus programs and infect PCs through outdated programs you have installed on your PC.
Learn How
If you don´t need these programs, uninstall them from your computer.
If you cannot do without these applications, make sure they are always updated.
Always be cautious with the programs you install or run
Why? Virus authors make money infecting PCs and they can disguise behind programs or applications you think are not dangerous to open or to run. BEWARE!
Learn How: Use your common sense!
Never open emails from unknown senders. Beware of messages with eye-catching subjects; they are more likely to contain viruses.
The most typical ones are notices of a package from UPS, DHL or other courier company, PayPal transfers or errors in the sending of emails. If you receive any of these emails, beware! Do not open any of the attachments, unless you are absolutely sure it´s something you´ve requested.
Avoid visiting unsafe websites. Secure websites begin with ‘https://’ and the lock icon is displayed on the browser.
Use strong passwords and have different passwords for the different online services you use.
NEVER provide confidential data by email. Think that your bank, for example, would never ask you to send them your account or personal details via email. So, if unsure, ring the official bank telephone number, never the one provided on the email, and ask them.
Always Keep your Windows OS Updated
Why? Malware and viruses exploit security vulnerabilities present in outdated Windows OS. Having the latest security patches and Service Packs installed prevent viruses from doing so.
Use an effective antivirus and keep it updated at all times
Why? Because you need to protect yourself, your family and your business from known and unknown viruses and other threats that can disrupt your everyday life and the productivity of your enterprise.
Keep a backup of your files
Why? Because backing up your computer data allows you to restore them in the case of a data loss event.
