Ransomware is a type of malicious software that prevents the victims from accessing their documents, pictures, databases and other files by encrypting them and demanding a ransom to decrypt them back. A deadline is assigned for the ransom payment, and if the deadline passes, the ransom demand doubles or files are permanently locked. The Ransom demands are on the rise, with average demands above $1,000, up from $300 back in 2015. Ransomware is an ever-increasing threat worldwide, claiming a new victim every 10 seconds.
So What is WannaCry?
Last Friday there was a global cyberattack that affected 150 countries called WannaCry, also known as Wanna Decryptor and “wcry”. WannaCry is a Ransomware attack that extorts innocent PC users by encrypting their files and demanding a ransom in bitcoin to release them.
If you have a Gmail account, beware of the most recent phishing scam that targeted roughly 1 billion Gmail users worldwide. This new scam compromises your email account and can give hackers complete access and control of your Gmail account and to all of your personal details and information.
Every tax season, scammers are notorious for trying to trick taxpayers into giving over their financial and sensitive information. These types of tax scams earn criminals billions of dollars every year. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) estimates that they paid out $3.1 billion in fake refunds in 2014. That is $3.1 million worth of tax returns that went to tax scammers instead of the correct people due to fraudulent tax scams.
With hackers being able to gain more access to our personal details, it’s about time to make sure we protect the information we put online about ourselves and share with the world. Increasing your social media privacy will undoubtedly make you less vulnerable to hackers. When you access your social media account, look in the security or privacy tabs to change your settings. When in doubt, click through all the various tabs in the preferences pages for your account and adjust security settings.
