The well-known web security blog Zonealarm has issued a list of the top biggest security threats that are waiting for us in the current year. All of them have been relevant for several years now and everyone should take great care in protecting their devices against them.
These are the 4 biggest security threats that lie in store for us in the year 2016:
Bank malware
Since Slovakia is among countries, with the most modern banking system and a wide use of internet banking, it makes an attractive target for a lot of hackers. Cases in which malware was able to bypass the security features of Slovakian banks and actually steal money from a client’s account, are still scarce. Yet with the rising sophistication and perfection of methods used by hackers, we may look forward to more of these in the future. The year 2016 can likely bring a lot of security challenges in this regard for the banks. In foreign countries, such cases have been registered more than enough.
Phishing
Phishing is a technique with which user’s credentials can be elicited in a way that the users themselves send them to the attacker. The impostor sends an email or a link posing as their bank and asks for credit card information or access credentials for internet banking. If a victim enters this information, the attacker gains instant access to their money or sensitive data. You should therefore always make sure, that you are on a secure site (look for the https:// protocol in the site’s address) and that you can trust the sender.
Ransomware
An aggressive form of malware which had it’s renaissance in Russia, but is being reported more often now all over the world. Ransomware simply blocks the computer access of a user and asks for a “ransom” in form of payment to unblock it. There’s a known case in Slovakia from 2012 in which a ransomware disguised as the National Police of the Slovak Republic asked for a ransom for five alleged internet offenses.
Adware
Adware seems as a relatively harmless form of malware that constantly harasses the user with bothersome and irrelevant ads. Yet often the real reason behind adware is the spreading of spyware – a program that monitors your internet activity and sends this information to third parties.
How to protect yourself from these security threats?
In SaferPass we believe, that the basis for secure work are regular updates of the operating system, whether on mobile devices (Android, iOS) or on computers (Windows, OSX). Needless to say, a good antivirus software is a must and not forgetting to change your passwords regularly as well. With our password manager, it shouldn’t be a problem.
