Always, always, always keep your computer up to date!
From NBC News today:
Adobe issued an emergency update on Thursday to its widely used Flash software for Internet browsers after researchers discovered a security flaw that was being exploited to deliver ransomware to Windows PCs.
The software maker urged the more than 1 billion users of Flash on Windows, Mac, Chrome and Linux computers to update the product as quickly as possible after security researchers said the bug was being exploited in “drive-by” attacks that infect computers with ransomware when tainted websites are visited.
Ransomware encrypts data, locking up computers, then demands payments that often range from $200 to $600 to unlock each infected PC.
Japanese security software maker Trend Micro Inc said that it had warned Adobe that it had seen attackers exploiting the flaw to infect computers with a type of ransomware known as ‘Cerber’ as early as March 31.
Cerber “has a ‘voice’ tactic that reads aloud the ransom note to create a sense of urgency and stir users to pay,” Trend Micro said on its blog.
To read the whole article, visit NBC News.
People are always asking me “Should I do these updates that pop up on my computer?” The answer is YES. Windows updates, Java updates, Flash updates, anti-virus updates. They’re all incredibly important to keeping your computer secure from viruses and identity theft.
The confusion happens when something pops up asking for your attention, and you don’t know what it is. If it’s one of the above, you’re safe. Make sure you know the name of your anti-virus program and only update the one YOU have installed on your computer. Sometimes malware will try to sneak onto your computer by what’s called “social engineering”. This is the virus maker trying to trick you into loading the virus yourself by disguising it as an “important update”. Know what updates are ok to install on your computer! If you’re not sure, give us a call and ask, we’re happy to let you know if that popup message is legit. Remember, “five minute questions are always free”!
Take care of your computer, your files, and your identity. Keep up to date!
