Trojans. Viruses. Email phishing scams. Ransomware. Most people using the internet have heard of all of these malicious activities and dangers associated with the internet. Unfortunately, according to several reports from some of the top internet security firms and anti-virus software companies, these types of dangers are becoming more and more prevalent.
According to Wally Rolfes, Dynasoft Communications sales manager in Lloydminster, “It is becoming a more real threat…We have seen plenty of (these attacks) pouring over from the United States in the wake of the US election too.”
Now days, it is not necessary to be a large corporation, or to visit questionable sites in order to be put in harms way. Ransomware holds companies, large and small, hostage by encrypting their computer files making the unusable, then requiring the affected company to pay a certain amount of money to get their files decrypted. Ransomware is being distributed via email and social sharing, making it even easier to get access to the computer files that the malicious companies need in order to hold the business hostage.
Rolfes states, “We have seen crazy spikes in attacks like these (ransomware). We have had companies forced to spend more than $50,000 to rebuild most of their accounting data.”
Unfortunately, when people are trying to figure out which store they will visit to buy something, how the company running the website secures its data is not something that is considered when make that decision. Rolfes said, “Companies need to be doing their due diligence when it comes to protecting customer and their own data. Yet, people never tend to choose to go to a business based on how secure their data may be.”
Taking all of this negative and fearful information about traversing the internet and making online purchases into consideration, there is no need to let this cause an overwhelming amount of stress in your daily internet experience. Rolfe urges people to simply “educate themselves on something they depend on every day.”
