CYBER SECURITY
phishing attempts are to install a malware
important that you install updates from
infection. Some of the companies most
your software suppliers (often referred
imitated in phishing attacks include Mic-
to as patches). Many people now keep
rosoft, PayPal, Netflix, all the major finan-
Bluetooth enabled on their mobile phone
cial institutions, Facebook and Dropbox
because they are using wireless head
just to name a few. They use official logos
phones, watches, or many other devices
taken from many sources and bait you
anchored to their mobile phone. Some
with topics like “your password needs to
companies are prescriptive on which
be reset” and they offer a link to accom-
internet browser they support because
plish that. You enter your data and they
of all the plugins that users install or the
have you. Some don’t even try to be so-
tracking that the service provider does.
phisticated, they something like here is a
I have said many times, if you didn’t pay
new email feature and click here to learn
for the service or software, you are the
all about it. If you click on the link, they
product. They are tracking your actions
have downloaded malware into your sys-
and selling data about you to make their
tem. Some of the most common words
money. Microsoft recently added a fea-
that appear in the subject line include:
ture to Windows 10 to detect and block
payment, urgent, request, attention,
potentially unwanted apps (PUA). There is
important with the goal to fool the recipi-
no advantage of any mobile phone oper-
ent into opening the email and taking the
ating system over another anymore as all
intended action.
the major platforms are very broad in their use and many users store application
It used to be everyone knew not to touch
user ids and passwords on their mobile
an email attachment that had .exe as the
devices.
file type. That barely makes the top 5 file extensions used today. Most people don’t
I would be remiss to not say something
pay any attention to the file type. The
as ransomware continues to be used
majority of malware downloads comes in
broadly in 2020. If struggling with the
visual basic script (.vbs), java script (.js),
Covid-19 impacts, a small to medium
word files (.doc) and of course the exe-
business couldn’t survive a ransomware
cutable program (.exe).
attack with an average demand that reaches more than $100,000. If they can
Bad actors exploit weaknesses in organi-
get hit by malware into your systems and
zational security through vulnerabilities in
bad actors hold you hostage. The aver-
very common software like Adobe PDF,
age ransomware ransom demand in Q1
Adobe Flash, Java, Microsoft, etc… It is
of 2020 was over $100,000. To make
PET CARE PRO QUARTERLY | Q3 2020 | IBPSA.COM/PETCAREPRO | 45
