Stay Informed to Avoid Putting Family Members at Risk

Our dependency on the Digital World has increased tremendously with more time being spent on the web, and smartphones. According to statistics, Indians spend more time on the Internet than the Chinese. An average Indian spends around four-and-a-half hours on the internet, and over two-and-a-quarter hours a day on Social Media. While our habits have changed to mobile phones in our hands, the use of Internet on our home networks is still predominant. The bad news is that hackers know this and they’re coming after us.

So, is there a way to stay informed and avoid putting the less tech-savvy members of your family at risk? Is there a way to ensure that hackers don’t step in? At Trend Micro, we give some practice advice to help protect our customers.

What are the risks?

An individual is prone to several risks of different shapes and sizes when online. These threats could enter into your system via email, the web or mobile channels. Some of the top threats worth your attention are listed below along with tips that ensure that you and your family members are protected.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a major contributor in the rise of malware. When this type of malware infects a computer on your home network, it can spread to all other devices and lock users out of their precious data. The user can now access data only by paying the ransom that attackers have claimed for.

Getting infected by a malware is as easy as clicking on a link in an email message or opening an attachment in spam email or visiting a legitimate-seeming website. However, this may not happen if your PC is protected.

Information-stealing malware

Majority of online threats are focused on stealing your personal information – particularly financial data, but also personal information that can be used for identity frauds or online account log-ins. Such details are traded in the cybercrime market for money.

The source of information-stealing malware is disguised URLs or attachments in spam emails and social media messages. If your PC is not protected with up-to-date antivirus software, just visiting a website infected with malware in enough.

Phishing emails

These emails may look genuine but they have been spoofed to fool you. They harvest your financial and personal information and sell the same to criminals, who execute identity frauds.

Banking Trojans

Such threats secretly steal your banking log-ins, allowing hackers to access your account and utilize the funds. They are typically hidden in the same way information-stealing malware is. The chances of such attacks have increased tremendously in India post demonetization, requiring the need for stern security measures during online banking/shopping transactions.

Malicious smartphone apps

Apps available in marketplaces apart from iOS and Android have not been vetted and can attract all sorts of nasty malware into your devices – right from banking Trojans to malicious codes designed to spy on user data.

How can you stay protected?

The risks may differ but malware entering your home network is definitely bad news. What’s important is that you and everyone else in your house must be aware of the dangers and understand how the chances of getting affected can be lessened.

Trend Micro suggests some steps that can reduce the risk:

• Only trust the official app stores (Google Play and App Store) to download applications.
• Download an efficient anti-virus for your smartphone (Trend Micro Mobile Security).
• Protect all computer systems with an advanced anti-malware from Trend Micro, ensuring protection from Trojans, malicious URLs and attachments, ransomware, social media threats, phishing attacks and much more.
• Stay alert when surfing online – do not click on any URLs in spam messages or download attachments unless you know/verify the sender.
• Use a password manager like Trend Micro Password Manager to keep online accounts protected against hackers.
• Ensure that your computer systems and smartphones are up-to-date with the latest operating system, browser and other key software to reduce the risk of threats.

Simple tips as these can protect your family and home network from cyber-attacks and you can continue to enjoy surfing without any stress and worry.