Virus Tag

18 May

Posted at 08:45h in Ransomware

Ransomware has recently been in the spotlight as a result of the ‘WannaCry’ attack which shut down large companies around the world. Ransomware is the term used when a computer virus locks a users files rendering them useless without the required encryption key to unlock the files affected. How it works. Prior to the WannaCry threat, ransomware was largely dependent on human interaction. Some well known methods the spread ransomware included the use of E-Mails such as the ‘Federal Police speed camera fine’, ‘Origin & AGL outstanding account’, or the ‘Australia Post...

18 May

Posted at 08:45h in Malware

What is ScanGuard? Is it Safe? Many clients have asked us recently about ScanGuard. While it promises all the best scans available and does an excellent job at doing so, in our experience it’s bad news. We did an install on a test computer to see the result, and as suspected, ScanGuard installed its own Spyware / Malware. ScanGuard should be considered a scam, whereby it installs junk in order to give you something to clean. It will scan our computer, find junk and then offer to remove it for a fee....

18 May

Posted at 08:45h in Security

In May 2017 the world was shocked by a technical attack that shut down major businesses around the world. High Profile examples include The National Health Service (UK), FedEx & Telefonica (Spain) and in Australia our chocolate manufacturing was halted when Cadbury was struck down. Not so sympathetic reactions were recorded however when the Victorian Speed Camera Network was shut down. What made the WannaCry ransomware threat so vulgar and dangerous is its ability to self-procreate and spread without the input from a human user. In the past, Ransomware largely depended...

18 May

Posted at 08:45h in Security

There has been some news recently about a large scale data mining malware program that has netted over 711 Million e-mail addresses. What makes this threat more urgent, it’s not only e-mail address that have been captured, but passwords and server settings as well. A data dump like this one available to anyone that know where to look is extremely dangerous. If you have one of the 711 million compromised e-mail addresses, you could soon start receiving more spam, or worse start sending out spam from a computer you have...

18 May

Posted at 08:45h in Security

A post by AVG Security suggest that one third of small businesses are clueless about the risks presented by ransomware. Ransomware is one of the fastest growing Internet threats today and the lack of understanding is a worrying sign. In June, AVG surveyed businesses to get a better understanding of ransomware in business. Out of the respondents 381 small to medium businesses representatives had heard the term ‘ransomware’ representing 68%. While this may look good, it shows that nearly one third are completely oblivious to the threats. Many of the respondants...

18 May

Posted at 08:45h in Security

Since the early to mid 2000’s, AVG and AVAST have been market leaders when it comes to free Anti-virus programs. Having paid versions also, both companies have grown to large scale international recognition. Avast has announced the acquisition will cost up to $1.3 Billion. Avast will purchase all ordinary share of AVG for $25.00 each. With this acquisition, AVG will add technical depth to their range. It is believed that Avast software will benefit greatly with the technical merge offered from both companies. By combining AVAST & AVG, the company will now...