Viruses, malware, and other types of cyber attacks are constantly evolving and becoming more advanced and dangerous, making it extremely difficult to keep your data protected. Unless you’re properly protected (which most people aren’t), you’re at risk of becoming a victim of the latest computer virus threats and malware attacks.
Cybercriminals are relentless and will stop at nothing to hack your computer or phone to steal your most valuable data — including bank details, personal photos, and sensitive ID card information. This is why you must have a working antivirus installed on your PC, Mac, Android, or iPhone. If you want to be secure and protect your data safe, watch this video untill the end. It will help you learn about malware and viruses and how you can protect your data.
Clop Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of software that encrypts your files until you pay the hackers a ransom. One of the most recent and harmful ransomware threats is called "Clop", and It is a variation of the well-known Windows user-targeting malware called CryptoMix.
The Clop ransomware disables numerous Windows programs, including Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials, and inhibits over 600 Windows processes before starting the encryption process, giving you little chance to preserve your data. Since its creation, the Clop Ransomware has developed, and it now targets entire networks instead of simply single machines.
Even the Maastricht University in the Netherlands fell prey to the Clop Ransomware, encrypting nearly all Windows devices connected to the university's network and requiring a ransom payment.
Fake Windows Updates (Hidden Ransomware)
Hackers are increasingly sending emails telling recipients to urgently update their Windows OS. The emails mislead recipients into installing "latest" Windows updates when in fact they are ransomware '.exe' files. These emails contain "Cyborg" - a ransomware program, which encrypts all of your files and programs and demands a ransom payment to un-encrypt the files.
Unfortunately, a lot of email service providers and simple antivirus programs can't find and filter these emails. Due to the need for effective internet security and email protection, you must be running an antivirus, protecting you from dangerous emails.
Zeus Gameover
The "Zeus" family of malware and viruses includes Zeus Gameover. This malicious software is a Trojan - malware that poses as a trustworthy entity and steals your money by accessing your private bank account information.
The worst thing about this specific Zeus malware type is that it lacks a vulnerability common to many intrusions that law enforcement can target: the need for a centralized "Command and Control" server to execute transactions. Zeus Gameover can instead construct separate servers to deliver sensitive data without using centralized ones. In essence, it is impossible to find the stolen data.
RaaS
The "RaaS" industry, commonly referred to as "Ransomware as a Service", is expanding in the hacker underworld. People might pay to hire a skilled hacker or team of hackers to carry out their complex ransomware attack if they lack the knowledge to do it.
Because it demonstrates how simple it is to infect people with ransomware even when the bad actors have no prior experience creating or coding malware, the emergence of the underground RaaS industry is concerning.
News Malware Attacks
Cybercriminals frequently target individuals with malware using recent news headlines and major world events. One such is the use of malware by hackers to target specific people during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) breakout wave. Hackers disseminate emails that appear to be official reports on the pandemic.
To discover more about the information, readers are instructed to open a link, however the link contains malware that copies the files on their device and takes their personal data. The present focus of research is the dissemination of this malware in Japan. Nevertheless, it will become a problem on a global scale whenever a noteworthy outbreak occurs.
Fleeceware
Despite people removing the apps, Fleeceware still charges them a lot of money. Over 600 million Android users downloaded Fleeware onto their handset in the last few years, according to recent research.
Fleeceware is a frequent method used by software developers to take advantage of unwary consumers, even while it doesn't constitute a significant security danger to a user's device and data.
IoT Device Attacks
Hackers are attempting to take advantage of IoT (Internet of Things) devices, such as smart speakers and video doorbells, as their popularity rises in 2022. Hackers prefer to attack IoT devices for a variety of reasons. For starters, the majority of IoT devices lack sufficient storage to set up appropriate security safeguards.
These devices frequently contain easily accessible information, like passwords and usernames, which hackers can use to connect into user accounts and steal valuable data, like banking information.
Hackers can also speak with and spy on people using internet-based cameras and microphones, including young children via smart baby monitors. Additionally, IoT devices can be weak places in a company's network, giving hackers access to entire systems and the ability to infect other connected devices with malware.
Social Engineering
The weakest link in any security protocol may be humans. Because of this, fraudsters are now using deceit and human psychology to try to acquire personal data. The hacker will first get in touch with a business or service provider while posing as another individual.
They will inquire about the victim's account and con the customer care staff into disclosing private information. Then, they will use that data to their advantage in order to access a person's account and data, including payment information.
Social engineering is a disturbing trend even though it isn't malware per se because it doesn't require hackers to have any coding or malware creation knowledge. Instead, the attacker only needs to be convincing in order to profit from human error and complacency and obtain the information they require.
Cryptojacking
The malware called Cryptojacking is made to use a user's processing power to "mine" cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. In order to mine new cryptocurrencies, which demand a significant amount of computing power, hackers are trying to install cryptojacking malware on desktop computers and mobile devices, which significantly slows down the user's device.
Cryptojacking attacks have decreased dramatically in recent years, largely as a result of the sharp decline in the value of cryptocurrencies, but this trend still poses a danger.
Artificial Intelligence Attacks
Hackers will be able to exploit this technology to launch deadly cyberattacks as more tools are made available to developers who wish to create AI scripts and software. While machine learning and artificial intelligence are being used by cybersecurity firms to combat malware, similar technologies can also be widely used to hack networks and devices.
Cyberattacks can frequently be quite time- and resource-intensive for hackers. Therefore, we can only assume that hackers will create highly-advanced and harmful AI-based malware in 2023 and beyond as a result of the development of AI and machine learning technology.
What are your sensitive data, priceless photos, bank account details, and private communications worth to you? They are priceless. Then, how do you protect yourself from brand-new viruses and online attacks? Most customers only use basic antivirus software and perhaps a few more cybersecurity solutions to protect themselves.
However, most antivirus programs don't totally shield you against newly discovered malware, and you're probably still vulnerable to infection risks from today. You must therefore employ common sense in addition to any layer of security. Avoid clicking on anything suspect, or better yet, avoid clicking on any link sent to your email until you are certain that it comes from a reliable source.
And even then, it's best to triple- or even quadruple-check everything, even if a regular Windows Updates. Never let yourself become complacent simply because you have an antivirus program installed, always be aware.
