This document discusses various cybersecurity threats such as malware, phishing, and ransomware. Nearly 1 million new malware threats are released daily and cybercriminals stole over $1 trillion of intellectual property in 2008. Common malware includes viruses, Trojan horses, and ransomware which encrypts files until ransom is paid. The document provides tips to help prevent cybercrime such as using antivirus software, updating applications, making backups, and being wary of emails, phone calls, and visits from unknown individuals requesting sensitive information.

1. Computer Security
Nearly 1 million new malware threats
released every day
In 2008, 1 Trillion dollars worth of
intellectual property was stolen from
companies by cyber-criminals
73%
Of all Americans have been a victim
of cyber-crime
90%
Of all businesses reported one
attempted breach per year
An estimate of 30,000 websites are
infected with malware every day70%
Of all the attempted breaches per
year were successful
Malware Phishing Crackers
Malware is the most common
threat, you can receive malware
from anywhere.
Cyber-criminals can use Phishing
techniques to spread malware
trough emails.
They can also disguise it as a
legitimate program which is
called a Trojan horse.
Phishing is a technique that uses
social engineering techniques to
trick people into believing they
are someone they can trust.
An example of phishing is
unsolicited emails that contain
malware in the attachments.
When you open the attachment,
you become infected.
Often confused with normal
hackers in media. Crackers are
people that use hacking tech-
niques to gain illegal entry into
computer systems. They are the
ones who create the malware,
and exploit systems.
It’s estimated that only 9.9% of
cyber-criminals are in the real
cracker category, and only 0.1%
of them are the world class elite.
Threats

2. Adware Spyware Ransomware
Adware is software that injects
advertisements into your
web-browser, for example it
could display ads on your bank’s
website
Adware usually comes from
legitimate software installations
and it can be avoided by reading
carefully through the options
and checking the checkbox to
opt out of installing the software
you don’t want.
Spyware is a type of malware
that spies on what you are doing
on your computer. What infor-
mation it collects varies, it could
be financial documents, all the
key-strokes you type, screen-
shots of your computer screen,
or your webcam.
Use a good anti-virus to keep
these types of malware out of
your computer.
Ransomware is the most
dangerous type of malware.
It encrypts all your files and
images so you can’t open them
anymore and demands ransom
to de-crypt your files again.
Recovering your files after you
get infected with random ware is
near impossible, and mostly the
only option is to pay the
criminals.
Ransomware are usually sent in
an email attachment to you,
they use “phishing” techniques
to get you to open them. The
email may look like legitimate
emails, always be alert when
you are opening an email
attachment.
To protect your data the best
option is to use good backup so-
lutions. A good solution is to
keep your data in a cloud ser-
vice like Dropbox, that way you
can make use of the recovery
features they have. Another op-
tion is to keep a backup on an
external drive. Remember that
the Ransomware will reach your
backup if it’s connected to your
PC all the time.
Malware
Trojan Horse Virus
A Trojan horse is a type of
malware that disguises itself as
legitimate software to trick users
into running it. It is mostly used
to download other types of
Malware.
To avoid Trojan horses be care-
ful when you are opening files,
check if they are the correct file
type, and make sure you get
software from official sources.
A virus is a type of malware that
spreads to other places, it could
spread to other computers or it
could “inject” itself into other
applications so it’s harder to get
rid of.
A good Anti-Virus is a good de-
fense against these types of
malware. But, if you get one, it’s
best to scan your computer with
multiple anti-virus solutions and
maybe even re-install your OS.
Prevention
Always update your applications,
all your applications could have
security vulnerabilities that can
be exploited.
Make backups as often as possi-
ble, when you get destructive
malware you can get your data
back from a backup.
Get a good anti-virus. Windows 10
comes with Windows Defender,
which is my recommended option,
it is free.
Watch out!
Think
Does it look legitimate?
Does it come from a trusted source?
Was it sent from the correct e-mail address?
Consider
It’s probably not legitimate if you aren’t sure.
Ask
You IT department should be able to identify if it’s
legitimate or not. Better ask now rather than have
them clean up afterwards.

3. Phone call Emails Visit
When cyber-criminals want to
get into your systems, they can
use the phone to call your office.
This is known as phishing over
the phone. They can use many
techniques, such as pretending
to be someone who has
forgotten their password and
ask to tell them what it was.
Any information you give out
can be used against your
company.
Be alert and remember to try
and find out exactly who is call-
ing. Always be suspicious, they
can use many techniques, such
as playing background noises to
make you believe there is a cry-
ing baby there. And many other
techniques, never relax your se-
curity routines just because you
think they are legitimate.
Cyber-criminals are skilled ma-
nipulators. Be careful with who
you trust.
Emails are often used to scam
people, or get them to download
malware.
Be wary, email attachments are
the most common source of
malware. It is usually disguised
as a legitimate file, but when
you open it, it can spread all
sorts of malware.
These kinds of email attach-
ments usually contain Trojan
horses that download more mal-
ware when it was clicked.
There can also be scams, don’t
give out information to anyone,
unless you are 100% sure it is
legitimate.
Not often thought of, but crimi-
nals can show up in person. It’s
more common than you would
think. They can often claim to be
electricians, etc. to fool you.
Be sure you identify who people
are, asking your boss or security
if they had called an electrician
today is a good practice. Don’t
leave them be and let someone
else deal with it, others will do
the same.
If a guy is acting suspicious at
your workplace, be sure to let
security know.
If someone you don’t know
comes up to you and asks for
information or papers be sure to
identify who they are, where
they come from. Are they even
an employee at the same com-
pany?
Phishing
Prevention
No exceptions
Don’t make exception in security for anyone, it’s
nice to help others when they need help. But crimi-
nals exploit your kindness. If your friend sends you
a suspicious message, maybe they have been
hacked by a cyber-criminal?
Don’t slack of on security
That’s what criminals want you to do.
If nobody fell for their attempts all the time, they
wouldn’t continue trying.
Be Wary
Think
Do you know the person?
Can you trust the source of the email?
Investigate
Are they who they claim to be?
Is the email from the official domain?
Consider this
If it’s too good to be true, it’s because it’s a scam.
Nobody can see you have computer problems, if
someone calls to help you fix it, it’s a scam.