Category: Internet Security

Malware is malicious software that infects your computer in the form of a virus, spyware, Trojan horse, bot, adware or a worm. These nasty infections have different purposes, from getting your computer to preform certain tasks in the background, to sending out spam from your email account, to as bad as stealing your personal information.

Malware may infect your computer when you click on a suspicious email attachment, but it is not restricted to that. Malware also comes via software installations from unsafe sources, as well as when visiting infected websites.

Does Your computer Have Malware?

Malware can happen through phishing links, malicious websites, device vulnerabilities, and unauthorized access are all ways that malware can infiltrate a device.

Signs Your Computer or Phone May Be Infected

Slow Performance:  Your device may slow down, become unresponsive, or crash frequently.

Excessive pop-ups:  Persistent pop-up ads, especially those that show up even when you aren’t browsing the internet, could indicate malware.

Changes in Settings or Devices or Device Storage: If your device has changes in data usage and network activity, this could mean malware is present.

Apps Appearing or Disappearing:  If your anti-virus software is turned off and you are unable to turn it back on, this could be a red flag.  Keep an eye out for new unexpected software or applications as well. Browser extensions, plugins, or apps that you did not download could be a sign of malware.

What to Do if You Have Malware

1. Isolate the Device by disconnected it from the internet and other devices to prevent the malware from spreading.

2. Scan your device with an anti-malware program and follow any recommended steps noted.

3. Check to make sure your device operating system or software is up to date.

4. Change all passwords on all of your accounts to prevent unauthorized access.

Malware Prevention

To prevent malware, never click on unsolicited links.  Educate yourself on all forms of phishing.  Ensure your device operating system or software is up to date to ensure the latest versions are working to remove vulnerabilities.  Auto-updates on all programs and operating systems is a good idea.  Make sure all websites you visit start with https:// in the url.  (http:// urls are not secure).  It’s doesn’t mean the website has malware.  Therefore, you should install anti-malware software.

Safe Search Kids endorses MalwareBytes because it is 100% safe and arguably the most reputable malicious software removal tools available having been first introduced online in 2006.  It does not include adware or spyware in any shape or form and also has a free download option.

MalwareBytes now includes protection from Ransomware, which is malicious software that locks your computer.  The only way to remove it and get access to your files is to pay a ransom, usually in Bitcoin.

Personal Case Study of Malware

A personal story about anti-malware software in action: One morning I logged on to my credit card account and saw a Western Union charge for $940. It was made in a city half way across the country. I quickly called my credit card company to report it.

Upon further investigation I was informed that thieves obtained my complete credit card information through one of my computers in the house. This is done when your computer becomes infected by a Trojan Horse (malware) and when you log into an account – in my case it was iTunes – the software is able to obtain personal information for later use. I downloaded the anti-malware program on to all of our computers and did a scan. I found the virus on one of our laptops.

Malware can infect entire network of computers within a home.  It’s vital to education every member of your family.

Methods of Malware Infection

There are many other ways computers are infected with malware, including spyware and malicious Trojan Horses.  It can happen when you visit a website that itself has become infected.  Email can also be bring you malware in the form of an attachment.  This is why is always important, that no matter how much you may trust the email that is asking you to log into an account, it’s always best to simply go to your browser and access your account directly.

Malware can also be infecting a computer is when opening attachments that seem harmless enough.  That is where having an Anti-Malware program installed on your computer is vitally important to stop infections from happening in the first place.

Malicious Comments:  A case was discovered where cybercriminals hid malicious code within an image on a comment to a product website. The hidden code aimed to steal consumers’ data by bypassing security measures. While this specific case was discovered and thwarted by a threat management system, it is important that users are careful when interacting with images in comments and reviews. Organizations should make sure to employ continuous web threat management solutions to detect and prevent such vulnerabilities.

Beware of Stalkerware!

The creativity of cyber criminals never sleeps.  One imagines that even in their dreams they will think up new ways to spread malware.   Stalkerware is an example of this.  It refers to malicious tools, software, or apps that allow someone to secretly monitor another person’s activities. Some stalkerware allows the cybercriminal to see a person’s sensitive information which could lead to identity theft.

Unusual battery drain, unknown apps appearing, and changes in device permissions could be signs of stalkerware. Go to an IT expert or your IT department if you are concerned about a potential infection.

Anti-Virus Programs are Not Enough

It’s good to have an anti-virus program installed to catch unwanted emails, but they can only do so much.  Anti-virus programs don’t do a thorough job of detecting and removing the malware.  Malware hides in the background of your computer and anti-virus programs don’t always pick it up in a scan.

A bigger issue is that anti-virus programs alone do not block infections from happening in the first place, such as when you visit a malicious website.  This is why it’s important to have an anti-malware blocker, as well as a program that digs deeper in your computer scan with a top rated malware detector and removal tool.

Anti-Malware – Scan and Prevention

Every computer should have some form of anti-virus software installed.  Windows 10 users already have a good security system in place, as long as it is activated.  But anti-virus programs do not have the ability to prevent malware the way a program like a malware program can.  With children in the house, your computers should also have a premium anti-malware program on every device to regularly scan, clean and protect your PC from all internet threats: viruses, spyware, trojans, bots, adware and worms.

With anti-malware software, dangers are recognized immediately when they try to run or are being downloaded from the web. New malware definitions are also updated on a regular basis to ensure all new malware programs are detected with every scan.

Exploit Protection and Ransomware Protection

With secure Malware Protection you will also have Exploit Protection and Ransomware Protection while surfing the web as it blocks PUP (Potentially Unwanted Programs) and even scams.

Beware of installing any software from a source you are not sure about. The ironic thing is, you may be downloading malware contained in the very software program promising you malware removal. This is not the case with a trusted program.

Brute Force Attacks.

MalwareBytes also protects against brute force attacks. This is when RDP attacks from around the world can gain access to any one of your devices that is connected to the internet. Once in, hackers can infect other devices as well as steal your private data.

To see if you are infected by Malware including viruses, spyware, Trojans, bots, adware or worms – Scan and Clean Your Computer!

Additional Internet Security Solutions

While we have mentioned that Anti-Virus Software is not an effective tool against Malware, please don’t misunderstand. Anti-Virus is still important to protect your computer against infections through your incoming email. These programs are not to be confused with parental controls, which allow you to block access to websites that do not have appropriate content for kids and teens.

Why Malware Protection is Important

In the words of something you use every day…

A Letter from Your Computer

Dear Human. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me. After all, we spend a lot of time together. Together, we explore the big, wide world. We play, we learn and we visit with friends. But I need to be honest with you. There are some things you do that make me feel bad.

I don’t like it when you click on bad pictures.  They make me uncomfortable and sometimes when you look at ugly pictures, I get hurt. The people who post that gross stuff also stick viruses in the picture. By clicking on those pictures, you can accidentally download a virus which could make me sick.

If I get infected, I’d have to go to the computer doctor to get fixed. While I’m being repaired, you won’t have me to play with. I’d miss you. Please, watch out for gross pictures and websites with creepy names.

I know you want to watch that new movie that just came out, but think before you click. Streaming and downloading sites are filled with all sorts of malware that I want to keep you safe from. When you steam a movie or download that show, you could also be downloading spyware or phishing software.

Some stranger far away can then look inside of me and take your pictures and emails and videos. Then can even break me so bad that I can’t play with you anymore. Please, take care of me. Don’t stream or download unless your parents have a subscription with a business they can trust.

Also, I don’t like it when you use me to hurt others.

It might seem like fun to you or a way to show friends how clever you are, but those mean words sting. I’m your friend, not some goon you use to push people around. Please, be nice when you use me. Be polite. Remember, computers are supposed to better the life of humans, not cyberbully people around.

I’m your friend, your study buddy. I allow you to play games. I’m the tool that can take you all the way around the world while you sit safe in your home. Let’s share the world together. Think before you click.

Yours truly,
Your Computer.

Ransomware is malicious software that locks your computer including all your files so you can’t access them.  It can happen to individuals, businesses, schools and governments.  Your computer screen will show a message that your files have been ‘held for ransom’ and will be unlocked only if you pay.

The payment is most often requested in Bitcoin so that the identity of the thieves can’t be tracked.  The larger the organization the larger the payment amount will be, but it’s quite a hefty sum even for individuals.  Unfortunately, this encrypted ransomware software is so secure the only way to unlock the frozen computer files is to pay the ransom.  This is why it’s so important that individuals and institutions alike take steps to prevent ransomware from taking hold if their computer’s operating system in the first place.

How Does Ransomware Infect Computers?

This malicious software most often enters a victim’s computer through phishing emails.  An unsuspecting yet official request comes to you in an email and asks you to click a link or open an attached file.  This activates the ransomware immediately and your computer is locked.

Computers can also be hijacked by ransomware when you visit an infected website. It may not even be a link to a site in an email.  You may be surfing the web and be taken down a rabbit hole and end up on a seemingly innocent website that has been infected.  Or the website may have been created for the sole purpose of hosting ransomware.

How to Stop a Ransomware Attack

The first step to protecting yourself against ransomware is to never click a suspicious link in an email and be very cautious about opening attachments in emails from someone you don’t know.  You will also want to ensure you have proper anti-virus software on your computer to screen your emails and remove virus attachments, but it won’t stop a phishing link from arriving in your email.  Your operating system may already have a built in anti-virus program or it may be activated on your email server if you are a business or school.

Important:   Anti-virus programs do not block ransomware.  They simply quarantine viruses and malicious software in attachments to protect you from opening them. As mentioned, anti-virus software does not stop phishing emails either.

The only reliable and secure way to prevent someone from locking your computer files is to install anti-malware software that also provides ransomware protection.  It keeps malware away from your computer and blocks a variety of cyber attacks, as well as any ransomware attacks that come to you via an email attachment or when visiting an infected website.

When ransomware where infects a single computer within an organization it quickly spreads throughout the entire network to lock all files on the network.

Ransomware Explained

Anti-Virus vs Malware (and Ransomware) Protection

Computer protection can easily become confusing.  How many different internet security solutions does a person need to feel safe online?  Let’s review what we’ve discussed.

Anti-Virus:  This is the most commonly promoted software related to internet security.  But before you buy anti-virus software, research what built-in protection your computer may already have.  The main benefit to anti-virus is to stop viruses from coming to you in emails, but anti-virus will not stop a phishing email with a link to a virus or to malware such as ransomware.  Most phishing emails exist to fool you into logging into you personal account to steal your user name and password, but that doesn’t mean it could be to other harmful malware such as ransomware.

Anti-Malware:  This is not a new software program but it is commonly overlooked when many people think about online security.  Any built in security that comes with your operating system, or an anti-virus program, will not stop malware related internet threats such as spyware, Trojan Horses, bots, adware and worst of all Ransomware.

Being a victim of Ransomware may be one of the most scary things that can happen to a computer because it can end up costing you or a large organization a lot of money.  Some people who have paid the request ransom find the online cyber thieves asking for more money before computer files are unlocked for the victim.  Education only goes so far to stop it come happening.  Prevention through software is a small price to pay, especially for a larger institution.

Ok, you are NOT a dummy.  This is simply an article that explains VPNs in simple terms.  VPN services are not well known to the average person. For those who are aware of what they do, VPN services are often given a bad rap. We’ll explore and answer questions and concerns. We’ll also define what a VPN does and look at the online safety benefits.

VPN is short for Virtual Private Network.  It’s main security function is privacy protection. The privacy obtained through this private network is one of the reasons VPN’s get a bad name. However, when it comes to cyber security, personal privacy protection is a cornerstone of Internet safety. The need for effective solutions is growing.

How Does a VPN Protect your Privacy?

A VPN hides your location and makes it look like you are located somewhere other than your actual location.  You can choose the country and available locations within that country that you want it to appear you are accessing the Internet from.  One of the most practical places you would want to hide you location is when surfing public WiFi.  There are security risks regarding your personal information when logging on to public WiFi.  Firstly, never log on to a public WiFi unless there is an official verification of you as a user.

For example, when logging on to WiFi, such as an airport’s official free WiFi service, it will ask you to agree to certain terms.  This identifies yourself to the airport WiFi providers as well.  It also identifies others using the service.  This still won’t stop hackers from being able to anonymously spy on your lap top or phone.  Using a VPN will hide you from potential hackers who may be sitting just a few feet away from you. A VPN also works on iPhone, even though they are generally considered to be more secure devices than Android phones.

Regardless of your device, if you are using public WiFi without a VPN you should restrict your internet usage to activity that does not involve logging into personal accounts, such as banking.  Even on secured public Wifi in a libraries or hotel, where you are required to enter a password, these networks are still no match for a hacker who wants to hijack your laptop or mobile device.  There are many other reasons why people use VPN’s. which we will explore.

Why Do VPN’s Get a Bad Rap?

If a VPN hides your location, then the assumption is that you are going to do something illegal.  True, VPN’s may be used by criminals who do not want authorities to see what they are doing online.  There are other activities that VPN’s are used for that are not necessarily illegal or have drastic legal ramifications, but many deem them as unethical.  These include streaming services such as NetFlix, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime.  Streaming services only have the rights to show certain movies and TV shows in particular countries according to agreements with the copyright owners of that material.  If you pretend to be from a different country, would would gain access to entertainment that normally is not allowed in your country.

Additional Uses of a VPN

There are many legitimate reasons people want to sign up for a VPN on their computer, lap top or mobile phone.  We mentioned protection while using public WiFi already.  Here are a few more.

VPN Protection in Countries that Limit Personal Freedoms

If you live in a fully democratic country, you will be enjoying freedom to speak your mind or write about thoughts and ideas without suppression or persecution from your government.  There are countries that limit this in different ways.  These include; totalitarian regimes and communist countries that are highly restrictive, failed states and countries of great political unrest, as well as pseudo democracies that suppress political opposition and limit access to information to control it’s citizens.

These countries also block legitimate websites to keep people from reading ‘fact based’ news, as opposed to state propaganda. They censor information online and there can be great consequences for journalists and bloggers who seek to expose government injustice and stand up a free and open society.  Even a regular citizen in a restrictive country can go to jail for posting a protest message on social media.  For these reasons, a VPN can protect individuals from being located and charged with doing something that is illegal in their own country, but is highly regarded as noble and just in a democratic country.

Protection from Hackers

Apart from the legal and seemingly innocent tracking that websites and internet service providers do while you are surfing the web, we can’t forget about the risk of being hacked.  Every home should have a proper firewall set up and every computer should be running proper Internet security.  Regardless of these protections however, hacking of your computer and the stealing of your private information can still occur at home.  A VPN hides your IP address so a hacker can’t find you.

VPN’s Prevent Swatting and Doxxing for Gamers

This is a scary one.  Swatting is when a fellow gamer online reports your to local police in your area and commits a most horrendous prank.  Or they may do it to get back at you for beating them at a game or just to be mean.  They will call the SWAT team to your home claiming there is hostage taking or that someone has a gun and threatening people.  The unbeknownst gamer in your family and anyone else at home is shocked when SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) shows up and hauls everyone out of your home in handcuffs.  Sometimes the outcomes of a swatting call are much worse.

The FBI reports that there are over 400 cases of swatting in the USA every year.  New technology has evolved that has expanded swatting from the home to public areas.  A VPN protects gamers at home and anyone out in public.  Video game players with a VPN turned on can rest easy.  If they get on the bad side of another gamer half way around the world, those bad eggs won’t be able to detect where you live.  Doxxing happens when gamers post the personal information of other gamers online, which opens them up to further privacy risks when using social gaming networks.

Protection Against Cyberbullying:

We would not say that getting a VPN is a primary solution if a child is being cyberbullied. If you are having a serious problem and threats are involved, call your local police.  In extreme cases, having a VPN even for a short time can prevent bullies from finding out where you live until bullying issues are resolved.  The same is true for online predators.  Proper guidance and parental controls go a long way to protect kids online, but if you are dealing with a situation where a predictor may be attempting to stalk your child at home or at school, a VPN will stop that.

Business Protection

Most businesses do not have a lot of extra dollars to hire full time IT personal to protect their data.  A monthly subscription to a VPN is relatively affordable and manageable within a companies budget.  Businesses big and small will have 24/7 privacy protection that anti-virus and malware protection can’t provide.  Hackers need an IP address to hack any home or office.  This is includes hacking Microsoft 365 accounts.  Also, consider all your employees traveling the world and putting company data a risk.  Another benefit while traveling is the ability to access company files in countries where the internet is restricted.  Businesses can connect their VPN to the good router where all employees can use the service with only one account.

Alternatively, business may use residential proxies to filter residential IPs by country, city or ISP.  They use residential proxies to effectively monitor their online advertising to ensure ads are showing properly anywhere in the world.  Businesses are also able to gather prices from competitors, improve market research, and for social media management.

VPN Protection from ISP Tracking

Your internet service provider (ISP) collects your data and can often sell your personal information for advertising purposes.  This is legal but many protest that this is an invasion of privacy.  Most people are not concerned about it because internet service providers are not out to hurt you.  Though the threat does not appear imminent, your private information is still exposed to third parties.  Opening a new private window in your browser, also known as incognito mode, is not as secure as you think.  It does not hide your personal information from your IPS.  It merely blocks cookies from being saved and prevents websites from collecting your data as a user.  This can help you save money while shopping (more about that in our next point) but it does not provide full privacy.

Using VPN’s for Online Shopping Freedom

As alluded to in the previous paragraph, you can activate privacy mode in your browser to ensure you are not overpaying for products. This is especially true for airlines.  They want air travelers to pay the highest price possible for a plane ticket.  They will increase prices for customers they think will pay more and also reduce prices for those who are only willing to pay less.  Hiding your location and private information results keeps these websites in the dark about browsing history and buying habits.  For this reason, using a VPN for online shopping does a much better job of protecting you from over paying for products and services.

It also allows you to shop more easily while away from home.  Let’s say you are in another country and want to buy a product to be shipped to you by the time you return home.  Setting your location to your home country will allow you to shop as if you were there and not be subjected to different prices or shipping restrictions because the website thinks you are a foreigner.

Is a VPN Necessary?

Unfortunately, even though human rights have grown in democratic countries in many ways, a lack of privacy seems to be diminishing.  Or at least we are just become more are of the need to deal with these privacy issues since it has been in the news a lot lately.  The fight is on in developed nations to push back against the invasion of privacy that Internet companies, various websites and even social media platforms use to influence users and increase profits.  Laws need to be strengthened to make protection universal.

What is discouraging however, is the increased restrictions in old regimes.  While social media networks have been accused lately of neglecting the privacy of it’s users, no one can deny what a great tool it has been for people in corrupt countries to band together and oppose their governments for freedom that many of us take for granted.  This was first seen with the Arab Spring.  Today, oppressive countries are clamping down even harder to restrict their citizens from the having the freedom of ideas and communication that the growing power the Internet brings.

Even with proper laws in place for privacy protection, the world will always need Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as long as there are hackers, predators and corrupt governments in power. Software companies and computer hardware manufactures will continue to improve security to make your personal data more secure.  Using an SSL proxy is another solution, but it is much more complicated to implement.  Subscribing to a VPN that hides your location is the best user friendly option to complete protection from everything we’ve mentioned in this article.

Related Reads:

Ransomware Protection
How to add VPN extension to chrome

In a world of easy internet access, our children are vulnerable to online criminals. There are several types of personal data that parents should protect for their kids. We’ll take a look at what you need to know to keep your family safe online.

We will also show a valuable resource that shows which apps for kids that collect the most data.  This data collection goes unnoticed unless parents are vigilant.

Your Children Are Vulnerable Online

Because we all use the web so much, it’s easy to forget about internet privacy. Companies, agencies, and other organizations track us when we are online: our location, our financial data, and our personal information, as well as what we buy. Even our conversations are recorded and stored by companies.

Companies use this data for marketing. Unfortunately, hackers and other criminals can access it to steal, defame, and otherwise harm our children. One of the main forms that kids are at risk is through the use of apps.  Apps are used for education, social media, gaming, messaging, and streaming entertainment.  These are just one facet of a child’s internet use.

Ways to Protect Your Family

The first step is to talk to your children. As long as your children are online, they are not too young to learn about internet safety. Set age-appropriate rules and boundaries for internet usage. Then, teach them to understand why you’ve put these in place.

The most important thing you can teach them is to avoid sharing information with people they don’t know. They should not share personal data, like their phone or address, online. Instead, they can give that info out via phone or text.

In the meantime, there are steps you can take to safeguard their privacy online:

• Use a VPN with your internet service to block unwanted sites and safeguard browsing features.
• Protect your browser by disabling tracking cookies and enabling private browsing in your options. That will protect their data and actions from being monitored.
• Use trustworthy antivirus services and parental controls to keep kids and their computers safe.
• Have your kids set up and store unique and complex passwords for all their accounts. Using the same ones repeatedly puts them at risk.

Besides these generic safety tools, there are several options you can employ to protect them during their most common activities.

Social Media

Just about all our kids are on social media. Unfortunately, this can be a dangerous place. To keep kids safe, you must teach them to keep personal data private while on social media. Here are some simple guidelines you can teach them:

• What we share online can be stored forever. Make sure your kids understand how to use good judgment and discretion when posting. If they are uncertain, start a conversation about what makes a good post versus TMI (too much information).
• Everyone likes to post photos. Sadly, family pictures can attract predators, cyberbullies, and other internet dangers. Teach them to respect others’ privacy by not posting pictures of other people without their permission.
• Many websites give you an option to log in using a social media profile rather than your email. That leads to numerous security dangers. Instead, teach your kids to set up a new profile via email rather than exposing social media data.

Virtual Gaming

Online gaming is another area that exposes our kids to identity theft, data mining, phishing, and other hazards. There are several protections you can put in place to safeguard their virtual gaming activities.

• Computer cameras and mics may be exploited with the click of an insecure link. Be sure your kids are not clicking anything suspicious or unverified while in games. You can also cover the camera and unplug peripherals when offline.
• Turn off location tracking on devices if possible whenever gaming.
• If you have secure Wifi or a VPN and antivirus software, you’ll give your child an extra level of protection against unsecured gaming servers.
• Finally, be sure to update applications and software regularly.

Online Shopping

Safely shopping online is a bit of a tricky activity since your child needs to enter secure data, such as location, phone, and credit card info. Teach your child to recognize safe sites for shopping (i.e., Amazon, Target) versus unknown name sites or links that redirect elsewhere. Additionally, kids need to be wary of clicking email links from unknown sources.

Posting a direct bank account link is also unsafe. Therefore, instead of using a debit card, have your kids use a credit card for an extra measure of safety. Kids should also protect their credit card usage by keeping their online receipts and looking for suspicious activity on their accounts. Have them avoid saving credit card data either with a retailer or in their cookies.

Online Courses

Since the pandemic, more children are relying on online education. Unfortunately, from 2018 to 2019, problems with student data security in classrooms tripled. Your child’s grades, progress, and other confidential school data are stored online and can be vulnerable to attacks.

Be sure that your educators and administrators take the appropriate steps to protect student privacy. Review your schools’ digital policies, including how information is protected and shared. Schools should use FERPA Sherpa, a government resource designed to help them protect student privacy.

Kids today cannot avoid using the internet. This puts them at great risk for cybercrimes. However, these simple steps can keep your children safe online no matter what they are doing. As mentioned, apps are now one of the ways most of us access resources and information according to our own interests. This is especially true when using smart phones and tablets.