The Yellow Brick Road–with its lions and tigers and bears–isn’t the only path riddled with danger. When companies do business over the Worldwide Web, the danger of malware abounds in many forms, including ransomware and phishing. Learn more below about these serious cyber threats that wreak havoc on companies every day.

Ransomware

When cybercriminals invade your computer network and hold your data hostage, you have become another victim of ransomware. Paying the price demanded to have your IT functions and data restored rarely means full recovery from the cyber-attack. The following are signs to help you detect a ransomware attack before a full-blown disaster occurs:

• When cybercriminals begin the process of encrypting files, the IT network slows down. If your system seems to have slowed, check for anomalies in file shares and take precautions.
• If some users have been blocked out of your network, it’s a sign that ransomware is corrupting your system.
• There are various steps you can take to stop ransomware in its tracks. For small businesses with too small an IT staff, it’s best to work with a managed service provider (MSP) who can immediately improve network security and monitoring for malware.

Phishing

Phishing is a type of malware in which the general goal is to gather financial information about you. Attempts at phishing are often disguised well enough that busy people don’t notice that something is “phish-y” about the email. Responding to a request that you think is from your bank, for example, may lead to the sharing of information that makes your bank account highly vulnerable. Clues that an email may be a phishing expedition:

• Look for URLs in which words are close to being correct but are slightly misspelled.
• The text for a URL may be a disguise for the actual URL. Do a mouseover of the URL to see if it’s different from what is displayed.
• An “@” sign in a URL should always be avoided because it’s almost a sure sign of malware.

Contact Zero1zero Innovation to learn more about defending your business against malicious attacks like ransomware and phishing.