HushApp Team

Everything you need to know to have a cybersecure trip

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Cybersecurity is a subject that must be taken seriously at all times, even when you take a trip. When organizing your vacation, it is important to take into account all of the necessary safety precautions in order to have a cybersecure trip.

Usually we take our mobile devices everywhere and tend to use them often, both at home and at work. During this time one rarely stops to consider that we will be in areas that do not offer the same level of security that they were expecting. This means that if certain precautions aren’t taken, one could easily become the next victim of a cyberattack.

You don’t need to cancel your well-deserved vacation, just follow these simple tips and enjoy your experience from start to finish.

Tips for a cybersecure trip

1. Block your devices.

The first recommended measure is the simplest. Block your devices with the options available to you, using either a PIN number or a fingerprint ID. While traveling, change them regularly.

2. Be cautious of public Wi-Fi.

When traveling, we are always looking for a Wi-Fi connection. This is why it is important to exercise caution with free access networks as they tend to be the most dangerous. It is best to use Wi-Fi encrypted and to ask the hotel about the security protocol they use before connecting.

3. Avoid accessing your personal data in non-secure connections.

If it is necessary to use a public Wi-Fi connection, avoid accessing personal accounts or confidential data while you are connected to that network. Do not make purchases online or click on advertising banners, and if possible, try not to consult bank accounts.

4. Disable automatic connection.

Most phones, tablets and computers have a configuration that allows you to automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks available in your area. This exposes you to unsafe internet connections without you even knowing it. Before traveling, change this setting so that you must connect your devices to the internet manually.

5. Share your location in a limited way.

It is common to use social networks to share your location with your followers, this can be a threat to your safety. Pointing out your location can signal to criminals that you are not at home or at the hotel where you registered. Limit the information you publish online to avoid these types of threats.

6. Deactivate Bluetooth connectivity.

Like automatic Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth connection can also be a risk. Bluetooth signals can come from anywhere and if your device has it on, nearby attackers can access your mobile. Keep your Bluetooth disabled as much as possible while traveling abroad.

Cybersecure trip for business people

Business travelers are more vulnerable to a cyberattack due to the fact that they handle confidential information for companies, information that could be very valuable to cybercriminals. In their daily work inside or outside the office, they share sensitive organizational information. If the necessary measures are not taken, it could have serious financial consequences.

If you are an executive on a business trip, some measures to have a cybersecure trip are:

  • Share your files from secure applications
    If you need to share or send files from abroad, you should use an application with encryption system such as the HushApp. This will allow you to do send easily and safely from anywhere you are.
  • Install and update the operating systems and your antivirus license
    This is a measure that must be taken inside and outside the home. Make sure you have installed a protection system on your computer. In addition to keeping it and your operating system updated, this level of security applies to applications on your mobile as well.

Take your devices that do not store confidential information and only the necessary documents that you want and need to work with.

International regulations

In addition to implementing these security measures, be aware of laws and regulations involving cyber security in each country you plan to visit. Remember that when we travel we are subject to their legislation.

A suggestion to reinforce your security is to buy a data plan to use to in your destination country, even though it may be limited. This will allow you to check messages, confirm check-in times and keep up to date with other important issues

Whether you are a frequent traveler or not, for business or pleasure, do not let your guard down in terms of cybersecurity. Following these smple steps will allow you to enjoy your trip without compromising your personal or business information.

What is phishing? Everything you need to know to prevent and fight it

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Have you ever been a victim of fraud via email? This type of fraud is known as phishing and is becoming more common and dangerous every day. It is a method used by cybercriminals to deceive users, showing them information that seems like it comes from a known company, thus, they get confidential information such as credit cards, social security numbers or bank account numbers.

They usually send you an apparently corporate email (for example, an email from your bank) where they will direct you to a fake website, and kindly ask you to update your password, validate information about an account, or the most attractive ones offer you gifts, among other things, which will then allow hackers to keep your data. 

In some cases these attacks are easy to detect, however, in the day to day especially during working hours, we do not have time to look at small details. Spelling errors, unofficial URLs of companies that claim to be, or sometimes very similar addresses but not exactly the same, are the main indication that something is wrong. 

There are not only produced via email we can find several types:

Types of phishing attacks: 

  • Deceptive Phishing: This is the traditional type that we described above, the aim of the attacker is to obtain personal information from the user either by trying to get the user to provide it or by redirecting it to a fake website in order to obtain said information.
  • Spear phishing: This type of attack is usually more personalized and may include more personal information such as the name of the victim, phone or workplace. Spear phishing can come with names of known people, where they tell you that they attach a file that may be common for you, but this can be infected. These types of attacks are much more difficult to detect.
  • CEO Fraud: It works in the same way as Spear phishing, but in this specific case, the attacker pretends to be the CEO or someone with a relevant position, where they requests confidential information and that the employee will believe that must be given as someone with decision-making power in the company. 
  • Smishing: This type of attack is produced by SMS. They usually offer prizes and to receive it, the victim has to click on a link, reply to the message or call a phone number.
  • Vishing: This type of attack differs by being through a typical telephone call, where the attacker, as well as via e-mail, seeks to obtain certain personal information. 
  • By search in the browser: the fraud occurs in the same way with a fake site, but in this case, the hacker uses SEO and SEM techniques to position his false site and thus the user finds them among the first options of what you are looking for 
  • Pharming: This type of attack manipulates the hosts files or Domain Name Systems (DNS) to redirect a specific domain name to the one chosen by the cyber-attacker. 

What to do to prevent it?

  1. Recognize and identify a possible phishing: some details that can help us detect an email of this type: 
  • The URL address is different from the official website of the company where it says it is. The difference can be minimal: an “i” in uppercase (I) looks like a lowercase “L” (l).
  • They usually offer gifts or ask to update data, which is rarely requested in this way. 
  • Check the wording and language: often this type of emails have some details in the wording or language, if you see an email from your bank written in another language, this can be a clear sign of phishing.
  1. Enter your confidential data only on secure websites: In addition to checking the domain, check that the website is secure and that it starts with https: //
  2. Use two-factor authentication for all the services that allow it, especially for those who handle financial information. 
  3. Check the shortened URLs: if you see an abbreviated URL on a social media or it arrives by mail, there are websites that allow you to see the full address, that will allow you to see where you are redirected. 
  4. Open documents with other online documents viewer such as Google Drive: If it is usual for you to receive files from different contacts, you can open it first in an online document reader which will prevent some malicious software from being installed on your device. 
  5. Frequently update all the operating systems, browsers and applications that you use, thus avoiding vulnerabilities. 

Cyber ​​attacks are becoming more sophisticated every day and we can easily be deceived, but if we take the necessary preventive measures and are aware of how they are evolving, we can go a step further and thus reduce the risk of being the next victim. 

Encrypting files: What kind of information should your company protect?

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Every time it becomes more common to hear that a company must pay a fine for not complying with data protection regulations in Europe in particular, the GDPR has become one of the major concerns of organizations. It is clear that data should be protected, the question is, what should we protect? And also, why encrypting files is the best way to protect your company?

Frauds, phishing, cyber attacks, data leaks, malware, among others, are terms that are becoming increasingly common; they are attacks to which any company or person is exposed to suffer at any time. To understand the consequences of this type of attack, you have to understand the causes of the problem, the information that the company deals with and how it is handled.

Personal data and privacy

Although it is not the only information that a company should protect, it can be considered the most valuable and at the same time vulnerable data that an organization manages. It is about everything that concerns the identity of a person, whether public or private, and each one decides whether it can be shared or not.

Everything that refers to personal data such as: contact data, physical characteristics, data related to your assets, biometric information, professional training, including ideological information, sexual life or ethnic origin, among others, refers to information that if reach the wrong hands, It could affect their reputation or safety.

It is not only about personal information but also about confidential information of the company that is also susceptible to a security breach and could cause serious financial problems.

What should be done with the information obtained?

It is the responsibility of the company to safeguard the integrity of the people from whom it handles such information. This refers to any type of action taken with these data: the way it is collected, processed, stored, transferred or even destroyed.

Therefore, the procedure should be:

  • Know the type of information handled.
  • Classify it according to its value, if it should be public, private and above all, who will have access or not.
  • Identify which are the possible threats and the possible consequences.
  • Apply the necessary tools for the protection of information, especially the most confidential one. In this step is where encrypting files is useful.

Encrypting files: Classification and examples of information that must be protected

Some examples of information that must be protected with encryption systems can be:

– Company files: sensitive data for the company such as business secrets, bank documents, including passwords that give access to confidential documents, corporate devices, credit cards, market studies, etc.

In the case of personal files could involve employees, customers or any other person related to the company. Some examples include:

– Employee files: personal data of employees (such as those mentioned above), identification documents, medical reports, etc.

– Client files: Identification documents, payment data, contact data, among others.

In the case of clients, it is important to understand the obligation to protect the data they are offering and should be used only for the purpose they decided. Therefore, if you are requesting a client’s email to subscribe to the company’s newsletter, it should be used only for that and not for other purposes. For example, to promote other products of another company, since this can be sanctioned in many countries.

Why encrypt the files?

Encrypting your files can be one of the best options to protect the sensitive information of a company. Nowadays, the most used and effective method to protect your data is an encryption system, in which you can secure that information is completely protected.

It is important to highlight the level of security offered by an encryption system. It is a much more powerful tool than a password since they only protect access. Encryption protects data directly, making it impossible to see the contents of files.

Encrypting files easily with HushApp

To comply with all data protection regulations that each country requires, it is important to use the appropriate security tools.

That’s why we introduce you the HushApp. It is a safe alternative to other file submission services, since it facilitates the daily protection of company data and helps safeguard your customer’s sensitive information.

How? Implementing high-level encryption methods in a simple and transparent way for the user without affecting the efficiency of business processes. Security, usability and a good user experience are all our priorities.

Using HushApp you will have the opportunity to offer additional value to your customers, protect your own confidential information and allow your work team to perform easily and safely actions.

We invite to try HushApp …

Now easier and safer to use: Meet the 5 new HushApp features

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Every day we work to make your experience with our solution simple and at the same time provide the highest security and privacy for your confidential information. Therefore, we want you to know the new HushApp features, each one designed to streamline the communication processes between users without losing the ease of use and with total security.

Each step count, for example, to enter an email and password implies a time that usually we do not want to invest, although it seems little, we simply do not want to repeat it again and again. Therefore, from HushApp you can log in with your email accounts (such as Gmail or Microsoft) and you can also reset your passphrase securely, which will make your experience with our solution much more pleasant.

We introduce you the 5 new HushApp features

1) Integration with Microsoft tools: From now on, you can use your Microsoft account to sign in and access HushApp. In addition, you can manage your Microsoft contacts within HushApp by clicking on a new button available in the contacts section. Once you accept the appropriate permissions, we will show you which of your contacts are already HushApp users so that you can import them and which ones you can invite to join our community. 

If you have an Outlook, Office 365, Skype, or OneDrive account, … you can use it to access HushApp!

In addition, we are working on additional integrations with Microsoft. 

2) Now you can reset your Passphrase: If you have forgotten it, or if you are entering a wrong password, a message will appear where you can click and send an email to HushApp Team to reset it.

Please note that from HushApp we will initiate an identity verification process for the privacy and security of our clients because that’s our number one priority.

3) You can send much longer messages: Now you can send longer messages to unregistered users who can then view them without problems on the download page after decrypting it.

4) Customize your profile picture: Now you can customize your profile picture in the settings section of your account. Change your photo whenever you want and identify your account as well as those other users.

5) Sending messages without needing to attach files: Another HushApp feature to highlight is that it’s now possible to send encrypted messages to your contacts without needing to attach files. This allows you a fluid and secure communication with other users from the application.

We also improved the transfer flow to adapt it to this new functionality, giving priority to the recipients and the message.

We will continue working on many other new HushApp features and we will soon tell you …

What do you think about our news? Take a look at our web version and feel free to leave comments on what you think about these new features!

10 Cybersecurity measures to use Instagram safely without compromising your privacy

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Recently we discussed the influence that social media have on our daily lives, particularly on Facebook. Instagram is a social media that has become increasingly popular, and the more popular it becomes, the more security risks we have when using it. Therefore, before starting to publish your favorite photos of your trips and your favorite dishes, take into account some security measures to use Instagram safely.

Instagram is undoubtedly the social media preferred by young people today, for the large amount of visual content that is published, as well as the immediacy of their publications, especially on the Stories. However, it does not stop being a focus of attention for hackers if it is not used correctly.

How could the misuse of an Instagram account affect your security? Small details such as simply having an open account, or connecting from a public Wi-Fi can bring you serious consequences, such as being a victim of fraud or data leakage.

Therefore, it is better to take security measures, from the most basic to some specific settings of the application.

How to use Instagram safely?

  1. If you do not have an Instagram yet and you are thinking about having it on your mobile, the first thing you should do is to download it from the official stores (Play Store, Apple Store, etc). Avoid downloading it from another site.
  2. After having your account, or if you already have it, the basic rule to use Instagram safely is to use the private account mode, so only those who want you choose can access you. If you want to leave it public because you want to promote it, make sure you do not publish any personal information that could compromise your security such as travel photos where you and/or your relatives appear, photos of children, etc.
  3. As in other social media (and in real life), if your account is personal and not for any promotional purpose, just accept to be followed by people you know, remember there are false accounts. In the same way, these false accounts will try to write you by direct messages to try to connect with you, if you do not recognize them, you can reject the request and they won’t be able to contact you.
  4. This privacy option is also available for Stories, Instagram allows you to create a group called “Close friends”, with that option you can select who of your followers will be able to see your Stories.
  5. We have repeated many times how dangerous it can be to connect to a public Wi-Fi without taking the appropriate security measures. Avoid doing it this way, since this is the easiest way for hackers to steal your user and password and access your account.
  6. It is important to be careful with third-party apps, if you want to know is a third-party app is reliable, you should consider some important details, for example: when you register with third-party app, it must show you a URL like this “https://instagram.com/, as well as show you the typical Instagram form to enter username and password (it must be the same as the login of the original app). Do not enter anything if you do not comply with these conditions.
  7. To add more security and using your Instagram safely, activate two-factor authentication, so every time you log in your account, you must enter in addition to your username and password, a code that will be sent to your mobile.
  8. Check the information of doubtful accounts: one of the security options that Instagram has recently added is to be able to review information about accounts with very large audiences (not necessarily public brands or personalities). When entering the profile of these accounts you just have to click on the three points that are in the upper right corner, and there you can click on “About this Account” and access to this information.

This option is not available for all accounts, but those that do have it allow you to verify things like the country (which can help you know if it shows a false location in their posts) date joined, or former usernames.

  1. The blue checkmark is also a way of knowing that the account is verified and that it is indeed the personality or brand they claim to be.
  2. If, on the other hand, you would like to verify an account, you must send a request through Instagram, but take into account that sending the request will not guarantee that it will be verified. After your application has been reviewed, you will receive a confirmation or rejection notification in the notifications tab. Instagram will never request payment for verification or contact you in any way for you to confirm it.

If you still have doubts it is always good to consult the Instagram help center. The important thing is to know the risks to which you are exposed to using this network and how to use it responsibly to enjoy its advantages.

Cybersecurity for remote workers: benefits, risks and how to solve them

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Remote workers are already a business reality, and all companies should know how to manage them. Undoubtedly, this way of work brings benefits for both parties: the employee earns labor flexibility, and the employer can save on expenses that require having more employees.

The statistics confirm these benefits, according to a study carried out by the cybersecurity company OpenVPN, in which 250 IT managers were interviewed, 82% claim to have less stress working in this way, and 30% acknowledge that it allows them to do more work in less time.

Despite the benefits that the home office brings, this method has its disadvantages and can be very dangerous. 90% of IT managers recognize that having remote workers can be a risk to the security of the company. Furthermore, 54% consider that they represent a greater security risk than employees who work in the company itself. Even more alarming, 36% of organizations admit that they have suffered a security incident due to the actions of a remote worker.

It is possible to continue maintaining the benefits that home office brings us in a secure way, as long as the company follows some cybersecurity measures.

Cybersecurity measures for companies with remote workers

1) As with all IT security issues, the main thing is to know the risks to which they are exposed. Therefore, education in cybersecurity for employees should be fundamental, especially for remote workers and it should be part of the corporate culture.

Security policies must be established that clearly explain to employees how to handle sensitive information, especially those that are not within the workplace.

2) Establish basic measures of information security: using VPN, which will also allow the company to monitor who is connected, from where and what they have done. Teaching employees to use strong passwords or avoid using public Wi-Fi networks while they are connected from company devices. in case they have to, following the necessary security measures.

3) Classify the information that requires most protection: the company should review what type of information is accessible according to the profile of the worker, and if it is really necessary to have permission to modify it or it is enough to be allowed to view it.

4) Control devices that store sensitive information: the company must restrict access to information from devices that do not have the security tools established for their protection.

5) Install and maintain updated security solutions on all devices, in order to protect the company from possible malware or other types of cyber threats.

6) It is also important to avoid using computers or personal devices inside or outside the company since these are not controlled by the established security measures.

7) It is advisable to use remote desktops since it allows the employee to connect directly with the company’s servers.

8) Of course, all sensitive information must remain encrypted, this adds a layer of greater security and prevents a possible data leak, even when sharing it with remote workers, customers, suppliers, etc.

That’s why HushApp is the ideal option to manage communication with remote workers, it is a tool that allows you to share files in an easy and totally secure way, even without it being necessary to sign up in the application. It does not require installation since you can access it through its website or through the Android app.

HushApp is thinking to facilitate teamwork protecting the sensitive information of companies.

 

We invite you to try HushApp …

We have news in HushApp that we want to tell you!

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We have news in HushApp! Yes, because every day we work hard to make your experience better and better, so we decided to take this space to tell you about all the improvements we have made to our web version until today.

We are constantly changing, always looking for HushApp to be easy to use and at the same time secure enough to protect the privacy of your files. That’s why our team is committed to making this app as user-friendly as possible and our mission is to keep your information safe.

What’s the news in HushApp?

Here is a summary of what we have improved for you …

  • Some changes in the transfer process: as part of the progress in the user experience, we have improved this functionality, since it is one of the most features of the app. Now the send button is active from the moment you add a file. If you click on it, it will validate the recipients and show you some warnings and indications in case they are necessary, so you know at all times what you have to do.
  • Messages at the beginning and at the end of the encryption process: When you make a transfer, a message will appear at the beginning and at the end of the process, indicating the number of files you are sending and the number of recipients that you chose. A way to better visualize what you send and who you send it to.
  • We improved the password field to transfer to unregistered users: As you know, in Hushapp you can send your files even to people who do not use the application and are still protected. To do this, you must create a password and send them by other means, so that they can receive your files securely. We have facilitated this process in several aspects:
  • Now you can see an information button, which opens a drop-down and explains what you should do when you send a message to unregistered users.
  • We also have a more descriptive placeholder, so you know where and what you should enter in this field.
  • We also added an eye icon that allows you to hide or show the password, so you can see what you write, if you are in a secure environment.
  • The history of transfers received shows you the expiration of each transfer: now you know how much time you have left to download the files that were sent to you.
  • The clickable area to add files to a transfer: A larger space to click and add your files, which makes the sending process faster and easier.
  • Improvements for companies and work teams: On this issue, at Hushapp we are working hard to improve the experience for work teams. One of the improvements is now you can send a reminder to a colleague to complete the registration process.

To explain it in simpler words, if in a company all employees use HushApp and someone tries to send a file to a colleague who has not yet completed the registration process, HushApp will send a reminder to them to activate their account, thus they will be able to receive the files in a secure way.

Take a look at our web version and feel free to leave comments on what you think about this news in HushApp!

9 tips to use Facebook safely and not compromise your privacy

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Social media has changed the way we communicate today, but it is still controversial as far as user safety is concerned. Facebook is the best example, not only because of the immense number of users it has but also because of the conflicts that the company has experienced recently, which leaves the level of privacy of its users in question. Despite this, some are reluctant to leave the popular network, since it has become an essential way of communication for them. Therefore, the question arises: Is it possible to use Facebook safely without compromising privacy?

These questions are also raised by the imminent need of parents to protect their children, who are regular users of the popular network. However, cyber attacks become more advanced each day and anyone can be the victim of cybercrime through social media: fake news, phishing and other types of fraud frequently occur, and even the most cautious user, can fall into one of them.

It’s time to sharpen your eyesight and go one step ahead of cyber attackers, you can continue to use Facebook safely, by following some simple steps:

How to use Facebook safely? From the basic to the most advanced configurations:

1) Do not accept friend requests from strangers: The first step is to control those who have access to what you publish, therefore, by common sense, it is better to only accept people you know. It is important that parents educate children and make sure that young people do not accept requests from strangers.

2) Set up your profile so that only your friends can see your publications, you can even select specific people to see or not each publication.

3) Avoid publishing information related to your location. Some people use geolocation to show where they are on vacation for example, in any case, if you want to do so, add the photos after returning home, when you are no longer in the place you show.

4) Do not post your phone number, address, names of children or pets, this can be an easy clue for cybercriminals to guess your passwords.

5) Control who can connect with you: If you enter the section “Settings” and then “privacy”, you can control who can connect with you. There you will have several options that you can define in terms of who can see your activity and how they can contact you, for example: you have the option to receive friend requests from everyone or just friends of friends. Previously, Facebook had a “preview” option to know how your profile looked for other users. However, the same platform announced this function is disabled, due to a security incident with this tool.

6) Check the permissions of the apps and websites: In this section, you can see and control the applications and websites that you have connected to your Facebook page. You can see which ones are allowed, delete those that you do not want to use or deactivate the platform completely. If you click on each of them, you can see what kind of information that application or website accesses.

7) Report offensive content: this option is present in many sections of Facebook and serve to allow users to report offensive content, usually just look for the drop-down of the determined section and look for the option “Give Feedback”, then, a member of the Facebook security team will investigate and evaluate if it is appropriate to remove the content of the site.

8) Review in detail the section “Security and Login”: Facebook has added more layers of security to its users, especially to protect the login and prevent potential identity theft. It is important to review the available options periodically. If you go to configuration and then “Security and Login” there are different sections that are interesting and we recommend you to activate:

  • Check from Where You’re Logged In: in this section, you can see all the devices that have been connected, where and when they were connected, that will allow you to identify any suspicious activity in your account.
  • In any case, Facebook will also notify you if there is an unusual activity, such as a connection on an unusual computer. In the section “Get alerts about unrecognized logins” you can determine how you want to activate that notification.
  • You can also add two-factor authentication, either with a login code, through SMS or an authentication application of your choice.

9) Add encryption to Facebook notifications: One of the most advanced and interesting Facebook options is the encrypted notification emails. If you have them activated, you can use PGP encryption to protect these messages from possible intruders.

What can this serve you for? An example could be that for any reason you lost your password and you need to resort to the password recovery mail, with this functionality you would be ensuring that only you can read that email.

A more advanced feature that will require you to understand the encryption topic a bit more. If you succeed, you can enjoy your Facebook safely.

On the web the risks are everywhere, therefore the important thing is to improve our experience, to know the risks and advantages of each application that we use and the sites we visit.

Ransomware: What your company needs to know to prevent and combat them

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Have you ever heard about the Ransomware? Surely you have heard about them in your workplace and also how dangerous they can be. More than a computer technician can tremble only to hear the word, and no wonder, since it is considered one of the most dangerous malwares that exist today. Why? Here we explain it to you.

What is a Ransomware and how does it work?

It is a kind of digital hijacking with a type of malware that blocks users from accessing their system or files, and the only way to access them again is through a rescue requested by cybercriminals.                                                                                                        

This type of malicious software has existed since the 80s, and in its early days, they demanded rescues via postal mail, nowadays the payments work through cryptocurrencies or credit cards.

Their way of operating is usually through malicious spam, which can appear as advertising or email with infected attachments and often deceive users by posing as recognized institutions (for example the FBI) to click on their contents.

Once it arrives on the system, the ransomware contacts the central server to obtain the information it needs to activate, there it can block or encrypt the files, and thus indicate the rescue instructions.

Generally, cybercriminals threaten to erase information or raise the price of rescue if it is not paid in the estimated time. The ransomware can affect any type of operating system: Windows, Mac or Linux.

Types of Ransomware according to its complexity:

Scareware: Despite the fact it seems dangerous nevertheless it is less fearsome. It generally uses pop-up messages from “supposed” fake security programs or a false offer of technical support reporting that a malware has been “detected” and that the only way to get rid of it is to pay. If the payment is not made, it will continue to issue pop-up messages, however the files are not affected.

Screen blockers: In this case, the malware is more complex because it blocks the computer screen, preventing its use completely. The files are there but there is no way to access them, unless the computer is restored, which will lose all the information you have if there is no previous backup.

Encryption Ransomware: It is the most dangerous of all and, therefore, the most known, as it steals the files and the numbers, demanding a payment to re-decrypt and return them. By using encryption, it is impossible for a common security or restore software to return these files, unless the ransom is paid, which will not guarantee that the cybercriminal will return them.

Some prevention tips against Ransomware:

  1. Start by using (and updating) an antimalware, which includes firewalls.
  2. Update the system and all applications for any operating system, Mac, Windows or Linux.
  3. You can add a specific anti-ransom tool for this type of attack.
  4. Use antispam filters where these malwares usually arrive.
  5. There are applications that block the execution of some suspicious JavaScript code that could be harmful to the computer. If you install any, you can minimize the risk of infection through the web.
  6. Review the extensions of the files, to identify files that are passed by others (for example if you see a Word file with the extension .exe)
  7. Administrator accounts are the most sought after by hackers, they know they are those who have greater access to the system. That is why it is recommended to do daily tasks in other accounts and use administrator account only for system manipulations.
  8. Limit network access to sensitive files in terms of editing, share them so they can be read and give permission to edit only to those who need it.
  9. Make backups and save and keep the most sensitive information handly in secure applications such as Hushapp.

After the attack:

If, unfortunately, you were already a victim of a Ransomware, the first thing you should do is to keep calm, avoid as much as possible to pay, this will not ensure anything, and finally, follow these steps:

  • Disconnect the internet device quickly before the malware can access the server. Isolates the device from all the rest of the network.
  • Some large cybersecurity firms offer free solutions such as web pages and software to decipher ransomware and search for solutions to damages.
  • The idea is to call the relevant authorities so they can help.

Cyber attacks by Ransomware are increasingly sophisticated and can cause large losses to companies (and also to people). Therefore, it is important to take all necessary preventive measures to protect sensitive information of the company.

Do we protect our children from the internet dangers?

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We invite you to read SecureKids’ post, our special guests:

Smartphones, as well as many other devices, are already fully in the daily lives of people of all ages. They are very useful tools for many things, but they can also become very dangerous if they are not used properly.

Nowadays, it is very common that children receive their first smartphone during the 8 or 9 years, this age is sometimes reduced a little more when we talk about tablets. What many fathers and mothers are not aware of is that while they are being given a very powerful tool that opens the door to many possibilities for development and also many possible dangers.

And is that according to a study prepared by S2 Group, a company specialized in cybersecurity. In this study, we conclude that 75% of the parents did not implement any type of parental control in the mobile of their children. This percentage is alarming, parents cannot forget their role of educating and protecting their children against new technologies.

Most importantly, before being a parental control it is that parents should educate them and tell them about the potential dangers and misuses that may be given to the connected devices. The best way to prevent this from happening is the dialogue of parents with children. This work can then be supported with parental control tools, which can block access to dangerous content or even regulate the number of hours that can use it to prevent some addiction.

If you choose to use a parental control tool, it is equally important to explain to the little ones that they have it installed, that will give them security, and that step by step, as they are learning and reaching their age, they will have increasing access to more uses of the device. Since a child who is hiding all this information, will end up trying to remove it by force, or even access that content, even by other means. They have to understand the danger!

Nowadays, there is a great variety of very competent parental control programs, and among these is SecureKids. The philosophy of SecureKids is nothing more than transparency between parents and children, that is, the parent can manage and monitor the device remotely. In addition, the children will know at all times that they have put parental control and what configurations have put, as well as request permissions.

What features does SecureKids have?

Some of the features that SecureKids offers are:

  • STATS: The parent will be able to see which applications the child uses the most.
  • ALARMS: This functionality is designed so that alarms can be programmed remotely in the devices.
  • APP CONTROL: This is one of the most important modules of the service, due to its great utility in mobile devices. Here you will be allowed to block the use of certain applications, or even set a time of daily use.
  • BREAKS: It is designed so that parents can schedule breaks in which the child can not use the device.
  • EMERGENCIES: This module is composed by a widget that can be added in the device. This widget is a button that can be pressed by the child when they are in danger, and will automatically send the parents their location, an image captured at that time and the exact date you pressed.
  • CALL CONTROL: Designed so that parents can see the contacts in your child’s agenda and block those numbers that are not to your liking. Also, block calls from any unknown number.
  • WEB CONTROL: Another of the most important features of SecureKids. With the web control, parents can manage what content the child can see on the internet.

From SecureKids we encourage you to try our tool or any other, in order that you can create a safe environment for your children.

There are many dangers on the Internet

Another fact that is of great concern to parents is a large number of cases of cyberbullying that is occurring in recent times. Adding some of these applications can alleviate some of the harassment that your child may be subjected to. It is also clear that you should always talk to them and educate them in every way so they have the ability to know where they can navigate and where not.

I hope this serves to awaken some parents who live asleep and oblivious to all these technological advances.

The Internet is the largest library in the world, let’s use it with head, both old and young!