The power of malware to wreak havoc is very real. It can delete your files, disrupt your service, lock you out of your system, steal confidential or personal information, and even bring down a whole website or network.
How to identify it
Considering how many malware types and variants there are and how sophisticated attacks are getting, detecting malware can be a challenge. This is especially true with new and even more dangerous variants, like file-less malware.
Here are some signs you might be infected:
- You can’t get rid of a specific software
- Your device slows down or suddenly crashes
- You get error messages very often
- Your device won’t shut down or restart.
- Programs are opening and closing automatically.
- Your computer or phone is sending out emails that you didn’t write.
- You have very little storage space for no apparent reason.
- Performance drops, but battery consumption increases.
- Your default browser keeps changing without you doing anything.
- You see a lot of pop-ups in unexpected places, like official websites.
- Your site changed, but you didn’t do anything.
- You can’t log into your website.
- Your website redirects to another site.
How to stay ahead of it
Measures include updating your browser, installing antimalware or antivirus software, backing up your data, and, of course, not opening emails from untrusted sources.
Using an outdated and vulnerable version of a browser, whichever one it is, leaves you a likely victim of malware in 2023 and beyond. While getting malware on your iPhone is unlikely, it is possible if you’re using a browser like Safari or Chrome.
To update Chrome, open the browser on your computer and go to More in the top right. Click “Update Google Chrome.” If you don’t see this button, you already have the latest version. The final step is to click Relaunch.
To update Safari, go to Program Files – Apple Software Update, open the file, and select Safari. In User Account Control, choose yes, then wait for the software to download and install. No further action is needed on your end.
Get Antimalware
You should definitely have firewalls or another antimalware protection mechanism, especially if you’re on a computer network. This is the best way to protect devices from malicious attacks coming through your network traffic.
Don’t click on pop-ups, ever
Cybercriminals use all kinds of tricks to get people to click on infected links, including seemingly harmless pop-up ads.
Don’t open every email you get
Invest in antispam email tools or other email security tools because it’s very hard to tell a genuine from a fake sender nowadays. S/MIME certificates let you exchange digitally signed and encrypted emails with other people who have these certificates. You can be sure the emails are secure and legitimate.
Perform regular data backups
Data backups won’t protect you from malware, but they will help restore your data if you suffer an attack, be it through a Trojan, a worm, ransomware, or another malicious threat.
It’s recommended to store your files using two different media in case you suffer multiple attacks. You can keep one copy offline.
Check if your files and website are secure
Carry out website security checks regularly and inspect the individual files on your website. This can help detect potential attacks before they occur.
If you don’t secure your website, it can get infected and even cause malicious attacks on other devices and websites. Your SEO ranking on Google will also take a hit.
Getting rid of malware
Here’s how to get rid of the most common types of malware:
If your system is infected with a trojan or virus, install a reliable antimalware or antivirus program that can perform deep scans.
You can get rid of a computer worm in a similar fashion. Reliable antimalware software will do all the work.
If you are infected by ransomware and aren’t willing to pay the ransom, you need to gather evidence of the attack and provide it to the respective authorities. Disconnect the infected device as soon as possible after that.
Featured image credit: Michael Geiger / Unsplash
