Scareware is a type of malware tactic used to manipulate victims into downloading or buying malware-infested software. Scareware attacks are used by hackers and cybercriminals to trick users into thinking they must buy malware masked as real cybersecurity software.
Similar to most social engineering attacks, the intent of scareware is to frighten the computer user into paying for fake software or to further infect a device. To frighten users, scareware presents the user with a variety of pop-up security alerts that appear as warnings from actual antivirus companies, claiming that the user’s files have been infected. If the tactic works, the victim downloads fake software that is harmful malware. This places the user’s personal data at risk, and their computer might be remotely accessed by the hackers themselves, which can lead to other critical security issues, such as identity theft.
The following recommendations will help you and your business stay secure with the various threats you may face on a day-to-day basis. All of the suggestions listed below can be gained by hiring CyberHoot’s vCISO Program development services.
Each of these recommendations, except cyber-insurance, is built into CyberHoot’s product and virtual Chief Information Security Officer services. With CyberHoot you can govern, train, assess, and test your employees. Visit CyberHoot.com and sign up for our services today. At the very least continue to learn by enrolling in our monthly Cybersecurity newsletters to stay on top of current cybersecurity updates.
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