Mark James, ESET IT Security Specialist, gives us some answers to common questions relating to malvertising, Android malware and ransomware.
Malvertising, ransomware and Android malware are three areas which not only grab a lot of headlines but have been undergoing a worrisome growth period in the past few years.
Mark James helps to answer a frequently asked question on each topic as well as provide some sound advice to help you avoid becoming a victim.
Is blocking online ads the best way to avoid malvertising?
Ad-blocking will indeed help but it also stops legitimate ads that may earn websites revenue. Your favorite websites may not be run by large organizations with bottomless funds and may rely on ad revenue to keep going.
Instead you could consider things like keeping your browsers and plugins up to date, making sure you install a good regular updating internet security program regardless of your operating system.
Ensure your operating system and applications are on the latest patched versions, you could even consider uninstalling the ones you don’t use (like Flash Player or Java), all this will help to keep you safe.
Often vulnerabilities or exploits are patched quickly so updating as soon as possible is a must, if you use Adobe Flash then enabling “click-to-run” will enable you to choose what flash ads you view and stop them running automatically.
Are you still at risk of malware on Android if you only use the official app store?
Absolutely. When you browse the web, open emails or even run apps/games from official app stores you are constantly at risk.
Official app stores will do their very best to keep you safe but sometimes the odd one will slip through.
It’s not always easy to spot the bad guy so having a good internet security application to protect you when they do is a good idea: you also need to consider the extra benefits like Anti-theft, parental control, or mobile device management.
Is free anti-virus good enough to protect against ransomware and other malware?
Before you choose any product to keep you safe you need to look at all the factors that make up that product: is it limited in any way? Does it cost for support? Does it come with potentially unwanted toolbars or other advertisements? As new versions are released with better features do you get to use them straight away or is this extra?
We all need the extra protection Internet Security products offer so it’s important you look at the whole package: design, development and research all cost money, this cost has to be recuperated somewhere either through basic or premium features.
Unfortunately, you cannot cut corners when it comes to protecting your private data: ransomware is very rife at present, if you are unlucky enough to get targeted you could lose everything if it’s not backed up.
Choosing the right protection from the start could be the deciding factor could save you a lot of time, heartache at losing you data and potentially money in the long run.
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