Infections via email and web browsing are by no means new to the world. However, given a recent influx in occurrences and some of which leading to major network infections, we would like to educate everyone on how to prevent themselves from becoming victims of such activity.
How to Know When you’ve Received Infected Email and What to Do Next
There are 3 different types of attacks that can occur via email: Malware, Spam, and Phishing. There are signs that help to determine which you may have received, and steps you can take to prevent any effects on your system.
You are protected by spam filtering services which help substantially to limit these emails from being received, however they are not bulletproof. Why? Spammers use various spam filters to test tactics which will allow messages to pass through the filter without detection. Then, they release millions of emails revealing their new tactic, which spam filters then react to, and update their filter. This is similar to the way virus-makers, and the anti-virus industry behave.
If you have any questions regarding the validity of an email prior to opening the attachment, please reach out to us at support@azbs.com, or call at 312-474-9400.
If you are concerned you have opened a malicious email attachment, please let us know as soon as possible. We are here to help make sure your system is clean after doing so, and to make sure the infection has not spread to any other places on your network such as files on your server.
Browsing the Web Safely
There are various ways malicious activity occurs over the web as well. The various methods of attack – Phishing, Spyware, and Vulnerabilities are described below, as well as some best practices for browsing the web safely. It is important to use caution when browsing and downloading from the web to protect your PC and server.
Best Practices for Safe Browsing:
- Visit only trusted sites with valid security certificates.
- Avoid clicking on suspicious ads or other popups. These are more common on news or social networking sites.
- Be very careful when asked to fill out personal information, like credit card account numbers. You may be the next victim of Internet scams and cyber-theft.
- If the site requires you to download some type of viewer, you are likely attempting to navigate to a malicious site. Stop immediately.
- Be very careful when using download managers. They may make downloading files easier and faster, but they can also download malware in the background.
- If you are suspicious of a website, carry out a web search to see if you can find out whether or not it is fraudulent.
- Be wary of websites that are advertised in unsolicited emails from strangers.
