In the News
The threat of disguised malware continues. In Targeted Attacks Abusing Google Cloud Platform, Kacy Zurkus at InfoSecurity Magazine discusses how Google Cloud has been used as a proxy for downloaded malicious content through PDF downloads. Zurkus explains that many of these attacks were identified within the financial sectors and that Google resolved the issue by January 18th, issuing a statement prioritizing consumer privacy and security.
Our Take
It is becoming increasingly common for malware and viruses to be masked within emails, documents, and URLs. As individuals become exposed to higher amounts of technology use daily, it can be difficult to not only differentiate between legitimate and dangerous content but also to avoid mindlessly clicking on content out of habit or even boredom. Accidentally clicking on a malicious link or attachment can have a detrimental impact on the security of your private and personal information. Learning how to identify such malicious content is crucial to avoiding its potentially dangerous impact. Additionally, malicious attachments through links and ads on social media threaten to capitalize on the relaxed nature of social media content sharing but can have similar damaging effects to other sources of malicious content.
Recommendations
How can you protect yourself from downloading malicious content onto your servers?
- Don’t reuse your account passwords, and take advantage of multi-factor authentication whenever possible
- Know the signs of an email scam and know how to act if you are affected
- Avoid clicking directly on links, whether in email or social media – always search through your search engine to verify legitimacy and find the appropriate site
- Refrain from opening suspicious attachments
- Track your finances closely to notice suspicious transactions before they become dangerous