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<ul><li>A new advanced persistent threat (APT) attack was discovered targeting companies and government institutions in <keyword id="6360296" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="central-asia">Central Asia</keyword> by digital security firms Avast and ESET. </li><li>It planted backdoors within the network to manipulate and delete files, take screenshots and execute console commands. </li><li>Unlike other malware, APT attacks aren’t motivated by money but by “politics and ideals,” Luigion Camastra, a malware researcher with Avast told Business Insider. </li><li>The best offence against these kinds of attacks is a good defence. </li></ul>The digital security companies’, Avast and ESET, found that an advanced persistent threat (APT) attack was targeting companies and government institutions in Central Asia — planting backdoors to ensure that they had long-term access to corporate networks. This included a a telecommunications company, a gas company, and a governmental institution in Central Asia. Unlike other attacks, where hackers are known to follow the money, APT attacks have a whole other agenda. “APT groups are typically state-sponsored and motivated by politics and ideals, rather than money,” Luigino Camastra, a malware researcher with Avast told Business Insider. Based on their analysis, the companies’ believe that the group behind the latest attack on Central Asia is from China based on the remote access tools (RATs) used. And, this isn’t their first time around the block. “Further analysis leads us to believe the same group behind this attack, was also responsible for attacks against the Belarusian government and Russian military in late 2017,” said Camastra. These hackers don’t want anyone to know they had access to the system in the first place Unlike ransomware, which has recently made headlines for compromising for many a network — including IT services company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/cognizant-ransomware-attack-impact-to-get-worse-in-q2-and-coming-quarters/articleshow/75644164.cms">Cognizant</a> and law firm <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/priyanka-chopra-lady-gaga-and-madonna-ransomware-attack-by-revil-known-to-follow-through-on-blackmail-threat/articleshow/75708155.cms">Grubman Shire Meiselas &amp; Sacks</a>, which manages the accounts of global A-list celebrities — APT actors want to stay unnoticed and inside networks for as long as possible. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75708155" title="Ransomware attack puts Priyanka Chopra, Lady Gaga, Madonna and other celebrities’ data at risk — and REvil hackers are known to follow through on their threats" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> They have no intention of downloading the information for blackmail. Instead, they want to stay inside the system for as long as possible to manipulate and delete files, take screenshots, alter processes and services, and execute console commands. “For now, we don’t have any proof or indication of what exactly was manipulated or deleted during the <keyword id="9238328" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="APT-attack">APT attack</keyword>. However, the backdoor has a set of commands specifically targeting files with the .tu and .tut file extensions, we don’t know exactly what the content of these files was,” said Camastra. In order for the attack to be effective, they even remove themselves after the work is done so that nobody ever knows that they were in the system, to begin with. “Espionage, information, trade secrets – these are what fuel an APT group’s actions,” Camastra explained. And they don’t want you to know what they’ve changed As with other malware, the most common way that hackers are able to put in backdoors is by using phishing emails. However, the method can change depending on the attacker. “Phishing emails can contain a malicious attachment or malicious link, especially at the initial stages of an attack. A malicious attachment may contain a backdoor or another malicious file,” said Camastra. In order to avoid detection, the group used custom tools in addition to Gh0st remote access tool (RAT) and Management Instrumentation to move laterally within infiltrated networks. “This has led to a large number of samples, with binaries often protected by VMProtect, making analysis more difficult,” he said. “For example, PoisonIvy, Korplug are also popular RATs that have been used by many APT groups,” he added. There’s very little that companies can do about it <keyword id="1546248" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Malware-attacks">Malware attacks</keyword> are only becoming more common as people work from home and hackers are taking advantage of the unaware. “Effectively protecting organizations against the APT attacks has been proven to be very difficult as there are millions of malware variations,” explained Camastra. In the post COVID-19 world the best offence is a good defence. All you can really do is make sure that people are aware of the risks, and treat every link that passes through their email with healthy suspicion. For those working from home, make sure your applications are up-to-date to ensure that they have the latest security patches to catch any hacker trying to break through. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/lockdown-4-0-india-issues-new-guidelines-allowing-states-to-decide-the-red-green-and-orange-zones/articleshow/75790707.cms">Lockdown 4.0 ⁠— India issues new guidelines allowing states to decide the red, green, and orange zones</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/petrol-and-diesel-get-more-expensive-in-odishapetrol-and-diesel-get-more-expensive-in-odisha/articleshow/75784329.cms">Petrol and diesel get more expensive in Odisha as government hikes value-added tax</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/uber-ride-in-gurgaon-of-driver-seat-in-plastic-goes-viral-on-tiktok-and-instagram/articleshow/75771489.cms">Video of an Uber ride is all the rage on TikTok and Instagram ⁠— the driver got himself a cockpit covered in plastic</a>

Chinese hackers are using backdoors to gain unrestricted access to companies and governments — and it’s not about the money

<ul><li>Researchers at Avast have detected a new cryptojacking malware that’s targeting gamers across the globe, including India.</li><li>Dubbed Crackonosh, the malware is assumed to have a Czech origin.</li><li>The hackers behind the scam have made over $2 million in <keyword id="3626967" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Monero">Monero</keyword> (XMR) through the scam.</li></ul>Grand Theft Auto V, NBA 2K19, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 players are being duped into mining for cryptocurrency — and they may not even know it. In their quest to profit off of the currency rage around <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite">cryptocurrencies</a>, hackers have now turned their attention to gamers as per new research by antivirus software make <a href="https://decoded.avast.io/danielbenes/crackonosh-a-new-malware-distributed-in-cracked-software/">Avast</a>. The report highlights that cybercriminals are spreading malware by duping people into downloading games that are laced with malware. Avast has been able to catch over 800 cases on a daily basis. The researchers estimate that the perpetrators have been able to make over $2 million worth of Monero (XMR) through the scam using the malware called Crackonosh. Monero is a privacy coin that is infamous for being used by cybercriminals because it is much more difficult to trace than other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. <div type="image" title="Number of users infected by Crackonosh since December 2020. In May it is still about a thousand hits every day" msid="83839860" hostid="261"></div> What is Crackonosh and how does it work? According to Avast, Crackonosh has been able to fly under the radar because the malware has built-in mechanisms to disable security software and updates. This makes it difficult for victims to detect the program, let alone remove it from their systems. <div type="image" title="A gamer’s complaint on being hacked on a Reddit forum, which led Avast to investigate" msid="83839879" hostid="261"></div> The malware itself is assumed to have Czech origins, but its victims are spread out all over the world — the US, the Philippines, Brazil and even India, which accounts for 6% of the overall people affected. <div type="image" title="Number of hits since December 2020. In total over 222,000 unique devices." msid="83839904" hostid="261"></div> Cryptojacking schemes, like Crackonosh, install malware called miners into unsuspecting users’ computers, which then use the computer’s processing power to mine <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite">cryptocurrency</a>. This makes gamers amongst the most lucrative targets, since gaming devices carry the most powerful processors and graphics chips in the PC segment. Cyrptojacking is the new ‘get rich quick’ scheme The Crackonosh malware is a part of the growing number of cryptojacking schemes that security experts have detected across the internet over the past year. Fellow cybersecurity firm and antivirus software provider, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/cryptojacking-scams-are-on-the-rise-once-again-after-declining-for-two-years/articleshow/83335965.cms">Kaspersky</a>, warned that cryptojacking scams were on the rise earlier this month. The company said it had seen over 432,171 encounters with such malware between January to March in 2021. And, 200,045 of these encounters were in the month of March alone. Malware researchers from CISCO also <a href="https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2021/03/cheating-cheater-how-adversaries-are.html#more">found</a> such malware embedded in cheat software for games in March. Even before the boom of 2021, Japanese tech services provider, NTT, claims that cryptojacking malware accounted for 41% of all malware last year. Since they run in the background, such scams are tough to detect. Issues like slow or sluggish performance, wearing out of components and increased electricity bills — for those who run external graphics chips — could be a sign that your PC has been infected. <a href="https://forum.businessinsider.in/">For a more in-depth discussion, come on over to Business Insider Cryptosphere</a> — a forum where users can deep dive into all things crypto, engage in interesting discussions and stay ahead of the curve. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/idfc-first-bank-joins-icici-bank-yes-bank-and-others-in-crypto-ban-despite-rbis-nudge-to-ignore-its-2018-order/articleshow/83835420.cms">IDFC First Bank joins ICICI Bank, Yes Bank and others in stopping services to crypto companies, despite RBI's nudge to ignore its 2018 order</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/windows-11-is-getting-android-apps-pubg-mobile-amazon-appstore/articleshow/83830873.cms">Windows 11 is getting Android apps – you will soon be able to natively run PUBG Mobile and other popular Android apps and games</a>

A new cryptocurrency scam targeting gamers has already siphoned off $2 million in Monero

Depending on the kind of virus or malware that has infected your phone, you might find the symptoms or not find any of them at all while using your phone. Android phones are known to attract a wide range of mobile malware and virus. Some of the perceived effects of a malware on your android phone are some pop up ads and some spyware that will spy on each of your actions. Here are the ways to remove any virus on your android phone. Uninstall the apps that you might suspect If you see an app on your phone that you have not downloaded, it must trigger a red alert in you. Free apps from small developers can contain adware. Hence it is advisable to uninstall any app that you see on your phone which you have not installed. Run an antivirus scan The surest way to make sure that your android phone does not have any antivirus is to run an antivirus scan. Mobile antivirus can automatically scan the downloads on your mobile phone and can warn you about the apps that will leak your personal information, allow pop-up ads on your phone or drain away your phone battery. Some of the most popular antivirus software include Avast, Kaspersky, AVG and Norton. Do factory reset on your phone If the above mentioned methods do not successfully remove the malware or virus from your android phone, do a factory reset. This process will clear your phone of all the data. Before doing this, take a backup of all the files, data, photos and videos you will want to retain. Do the factory reset in this way: Settings &gt; System &gt; Advanced &gt; Reset options &gt; Erase all data.

How to remove virus from an android phone manually

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Crypto exchange site <keyword id="1972612" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Coinbase">Coinbase</keyword> said it saved almost $280,000, or 30.4 bitcoin, from transferring to the attackers that orchestrated last week's hack on <keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword>, per a Forbes report.</li><li>The company said just 14 users sent a total of $3,000 to the hackers before Coinbase blacklisted the scam address.</li><li>The attackers were found to have collected $121,000 from users on July 15 in the hack that Twitter is still investigating.</li></ul>Bitcoin exchange service Coinbase said it blocked bitcoin amounting to almost $280,000 from being transferred to the attackers behind the massive hack that took over Twitter last week, according to a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2020/07/19/exclusive-twitter-hackers-could-have-stolen-a-whole-lot-more/#129f594a2f84">Forbes</a> report. On July 13, hackers compromised 130 high-profile Twitter accounts, including that of former President Barack Obama, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Kanye West. Hijackers used the accounts to advertise a scam asking customers to donate bitcoin to phony cryptocurrency addresses. They ultimately got away with $121,000 from unsuspecting victims.But per the report, that sum could have been much more than that had Coinbase — the largest exchange platform for bitcoin and cryptocurrency in the US — not intervened. Philip Martin, the company's chief information security officer, told the outlet that just 14 Coinbase users sent a collective $3,000 to hijackers before the company blacklisted the fraudulent address, halting transaction from more than 1,000 customers."We noticed within about a minute of the Gemini and Binance tweets," Martin told Forbes, referring to tweets posted from the two fellow crypto exchange services during the hack. The San Francisco-based Coinbase is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-cryptocurrency-exchange-coinbase-readies-stock-market-listing-sources-2020-7">prepping to go public</a> as early as this year.The news comes as Twitter continues to investigate who was behind the hack, which resulted in 45 accounts publishing tweets advertising the bitcoin scam. At least eight users had their data scraped, including direct messages. The company has confirmed that hackers conducted the attack with an internal administrative tool used to manage accounts that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-hack-social-engineering-how-to-avoid-2020-7">they obtained from a Twitter employee. </a><keyword id="6361948" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cybersecurity">Cybersecurity</keyword> experts told Business Insider's Lisa Eadicicco that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-bitcoin-hack-account-takeover-sign-of-bigger-attack-experts-2020-7">the hack could have been much worse</a> than it was or could possibly be a distraction for conducting a more sophisticated cyberattack, though there's currently no evidence to support that."I can only speculate about the true intentions behind this scam, but at the surface level, it appears their goal was to show off, get some attention, have a little fun, and walk away with a pocket full of cash in the end," Luis Corrons, a security evangelist for antivirus software-maker Avast, said.

Coinbase, one of the Bitcoin Twitter accounts compromised last week, said it blocked $278,000 from being transferred to the attackers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword> accounts of SpaceX and Tesla CEO <keyword id="6355315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk">Elon Musk</keyword>, former President <keyword id="15962" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Barack-Obama">Barack Obama</keyword>, and companies like Apple and Uber were targeted in a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-bitcoin-crypto-cashapp-gates-ripple-coindesk-twitter-scam-links-2020-7">colossal hack</a> on Wednesday.</li><li>The compromised accounts all posted a similar message asking followers to send bitcoin.</li><li>Some <keyword id="6361948" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cybersecurity">cybersecurity</keyword> experts said they think the hack could have been a distraction or cover for a more nefarious cyberattack, though there's no evidence of this.</li><li>Twitter says it's still investigating the situation.</li></ul>If you were on Twitter on Wednesday evening, you probably noticed something incredibly strange: Elon Musk, Kanye West, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and many others posted nearly identical messages asking for bitcoin donations.That's because Twitter <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-hacked-bitcoin-scam-obama-kanye-elon-musk-bezos-list-2020-7">suffered an unprecedented attack</a> that compromised the accounts of high-profile celebrities, politicians, and business leaders.The attack — which was executed very publicly, resulting in many of the tweets being deleted in minutes — could have been a sign of a broader, more nefarious scheme, some cybersecurity experts told Business Insider.Twitter says it's still investigating the attack, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that the state would <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-hack-cuomo-announces-full-investigation-2020-7">launch a full investigation</a> into the incident. Many of the experts noted that there was no evidence of a broader attack tied to Wednesday's Twitter hack, but the situation still made them suspicious."If you suddenly had access to some of the most prolific, powerful people, what would you do?" Kevin O'Brien, the CEO of the cloud email security company GreatHorn, said in an interview. "Would you say that you wanted to get some bitcoin? That's a bizarrely small use of this level of access."The tweets could have been an attempt to ensure that the hackers were able to access the accounts to gain lucrative information or install backdoors, O'Brien said."The question is: Is this attack something of a false flag?" O'Brien said. "It looks like a bitcoin scam, but really, say the accounts were being accessed because there was information that was in them that is valuable."<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgxd3d/twitter-insider-access-panel-account-hacks-biden-uber-bezos">Vice's Motherboard reported</a> that the hackers were able to take over the accounts using an internal tool obtained through at least one current employee. Twitter on Wednesday confirmed that <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/1283591846464233474">hackers had gained access</a> to internal systems and tools by executing a coordinated social-engineering attack against its employees.<a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/1283591853955219458">Twitter said</a> it had "taken significant steps" to limit access to internal tools while it investigates the matter. The company also limited functionality for verified accounts and locked the compromised accounts while it investigated.It's unlikely that hackers will be able to exploit Twitter in a similar way since this attack was so public, said Etay Maor, the chief security officer at IntSights, and Ryan Olson, vice president of Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks. But Olson also agreed that it was possible it was a stunt to distract from a broader initiative."Noisy attacks are a great way to distract security teams from other malicious activities," Olson said in an email.O'Brien also said this could be a motivation behind the bitcoin-scam tweets."It wouldn't be a terribly surprising if there was a simultaneous, much wider attack, maybe not even on Twitter," he said, though he also pointed out that there's been no evidence of a separate attack.Another possibility is that these hackers acted covertly for months before exposing themselves publicly, said Alun Baker, the CEO of the security-app-maker Clario <keyword id="6358815" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech">Tech</keyword>."Typically a hacker has been in business for three to six months before they're discovered," Baker told Business Insider. "It's unusual for a hacker to show their hand right away ... The next thing you have to ask yourself is: How long were they in there?"Some security experts said they think the bitcoin scam was a way for the hackers to show off."I can only speculate about the true intentions behind this scam, but at the surface level, it appears their goal was to show off, get some attention, have a little fun, and walk away with a pocket full of cash in the end," Luis Corrons, a security evangelist for Avast, which makes antivirus software, said in an email."The hackers had to have known that the Twitter security team would be all over the situation once they launched their tweets, so I don't think there was a longer-term goal here," Corrons added.Regardless of the motivation, Maor said the attack could have been much worse, given the level of access the hackers were able to obtain. The high-profile tweets suggest the attackers may have been in a rush, he said."I hate to say this about something bad that happened, but I think we're almost lucky that this is what it ended up with," Maor said, "and not something far more nefarious."In 2013, for example, a group of Syrian hackers claimed responsibility for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/04/23/syrian-hackers-claim-ap-hack-that-tipped-stock-market-by-136-billion-is-it-terrorism/">hacking The Associated Press' official Twitter account</a> to post a tweet falsely saying that the White House had been bombed and that Obama had been injured.To O'Brien, the Twitter hack is evidence of a broader trend in cyberattacks: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-hack-social-engineering-how-to-avoid-2020-7">social engineering</a>, or the practice of gaining information about a target by posing as an unassuming person — such as a new employee — that hackers can then leverage to gain critical access."In security, you're paid to be paranoid," O'Brien said. "And the paranoia says there was something else happening at the same time, or these accounts were being accessed in ways that are far more damaging."

The unprecedented Twitter hack that targeted Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and others may be part of a larger, more ominous attack, experts say

<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image">AvastAvast posted a picture of the app on the company blog.</div></div>
A night vision video recording app for Android called Cámara Visión Nocturna has been secretly signing people up for a paid messaging service <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3027421/fast-feed/this-snooping-camera-app-secretly-registers-users-for-paid-messaging-service">according to Fast Company</a>.
<a href="https://blog.avast.com/2014/03/07/google-play-whats-the-newest-threat-on-the-official-android-market/">Antivirus software company Avast announced it discover the flaw</a> when the firm noticed the app was asking permission for unusual tasks such as sending and receiving messages along with accessing certain accounts.
The app would access someone's phone number through a messaging service like WhatsApp and then send that information to a server signing that person up for this unnamed messaging service.
At first, people would be automatically charged €2 ($2.80) but some users noticed they were being charged up to €36 ($50) a month.
Avast's Chief Technical Officer Ondrej Vlcek explained to Fast Company how the fees could escalate that high:
"The following month the same process starts again and the user can be charged the same amount again."
If you are one of the unfortunate people who downloaded it, Avast's software can quickly detect the program and remove it.

There's A Camera App For Android That Secretly Signs You Up For A Paid Messaging Service

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Financial companies do a lot to keep your money and identity secure, but you are an important part of your own <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-secure-accounts-protect-information-online-hackers-2019-10">digital security</a>.</li><li>Using strong, unique passwords is vital to keeping hackers and cybercriminals at bay.</li><li>Human error is one of the most common causes of a security breach. Learning what to look out for is important for your online security.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yourmoney?utm_source=bullet">Read more personal finance coverage</a>.</li></ul>While many people think that the safest way to manage your money is with paper, these days the opposite is true. If you use good digital security and cyber hygiene practices, your money and information are safest with a digital-first approach.Follow these good habits when managing your finances with your phone or computer to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/7-emerging-technologies-that-cybersecurity-experts-are-worried-about-2019-10">keep the digital bad guys at bay</a>.<h2>1. Always use secure and unique passwords</h2>Your bank, investment, credit card, and other financial accounts come from companies that use cutting-edge digital security technology. From a secure connection to your browser using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to strong security practices in their data centers, bank-level security does a good job at keeping hackers out.However, it doesn't do much good at all if your password is public information. Many companies that don't deal with your money get hacked every year. If you use a lot of different online services, odds are your account information has leaked at least a few times over the years. If you use the same password at every website, that means cybercriminals can access all of your accounts.Use a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-password-manager-store-protect-yourself-hackers-lastpass-1password-dashlane-2017-2">secure password manager, like LastPass, Dashlane, or 1Password,</a> to create a unique, random, strong password for every single website and app. I've used LastPass since 2010. Despite falling victim to numerous hacks, the damage never spread to other accounts thanks to unique passwords everywhere.<h2>2. Keep your computer and phone updated</h2>When you see a notification from your phone or computer that there's an update available, you <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-phone-safe-security-tips-2019-9">should almost always update right away</a>. Updates might bring new features or change your battery life, but they also usually come with a swath of bug fixes and security improvements.That goes for apps and programs you have installed on your devices as well. It takes just one bad app on your phone for a criminal to view your screen, log your passwords, and get into your accounts.Silent viruses and worms on computers do the same on both Windows and Mac. One kind of <a href="https://www.ubs.com/microsites/wma/insights/en/life-events/2018/how-to-avoid-ransomware.html">malware called ransomware</a> can lock your precious data unless you pay a ransom.To add an additional layer of security, set updates to automatic where available and install every new security update right away.<h2>3. Use a virus scanner and firewall program</h2>Most people know you need to use some kind of virus protection, but many people are not nearly protected enough. Security experts suggest that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fighting-ransomware-with-antivirus-2016-1">big-brand virus scanners and firewalls</a>, when kept up-to-date, should keep your devices safe from most threats.Windows users have great built-in programs to handle virus scanning and firewall needs without paying for an extra third-party tool, though many users feel safer with a program like McAfee, Norton, Bitdefender, or Kaspersky running in the background.Mac users sometimes think they don't need virus protection, but they absolutely do. Avast, Sophos, Norton, and Malwarebytes are popular antivirus brands for Mac.It's a good idea to add virus and malware protection on your Android or iOS smartphones and tablets as well. If you use it to log into your bank or email, it should have virus protection.<h2>4. Use a VPN on public WiFi</h2>If you spend time at coffee shops, hotels, airports, or anywhere else with public WiFi, you have an extra security need to take care of. Public networks may put you at risk for digital snooping through a Man-in-the-Middle attack or similar hack. But you can <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/computer-safety-security-tech-accessories-vpn-2018-6">keep those prying eyes away</a> with a quality virtual private network (VPN) on your device.A VPN creates a secure internet tunnel between your computer or phone and a remote server. All of your internet traffic between that server and your device is encrypted. Not even the internet service provider can read the contents of what's going through with a VPN in place. There are many reputable VPN providers with varying features and costs to choose from.<h2>5. Beware the bad email link</h2>Because virus scanners and anti-malware apps are so good, cybercriminals look to one of the biggest weaknesses a computer has to break through: its user. Humans clicking on bad links in phishing and spam emails is one of the top ways hackers gain access to a computer.Once you click on a bad link, a website may be able to install malware without your knowledge. All of a sudden and without warning, your passwords and account information could fall into the wrong hands. If you don't know the person on the other end of the email or it looks at all suspicious, don't click the link.<h2>You are the first line of defense</h2>Your bank works hard every day to keep your accounts safe, but if you let your username and password slip into the wrong hands, there's only so much that can be done to keep them out. If you follow good practices, use unique passwords, and avoid bad emails, you should be in the best shape to keep yourself digitally secure.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>More <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/personal-finance-insider">personal finance</a> coverage</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-airline-credit-card-comparison-delta-united-american">What's the best airline credit card?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com//best-cash-back-credit-cards">The best cash back credit cards</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/are-cds-a-good-investment">Are CDs a good investment?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-save-money-in-high-yield-savings">When to save money in high-yield savings</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-rewards-credit-cards">Best rewards credit cards</a></li></ul>

I'm a former banker, and I swear by 5 strategies to keep my money safe online

Of all crooked money-minting methods hackers use, the most common is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ransomware&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">ransomware</a>. 
 
It’s a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=malware&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">malware</a> that’s delivered via infected email attachments, hacked websites, etc that encrypts files on your computers, and renders them useless. The <keyword id="32574" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="hacker">hacker</keyword> then demands a ransom for the key to decode the encryption. It's sick, and scary. 
 
Cyber-criminals make millions of dollars from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ransomware&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">ransomware</a>. Several organizations around the world have been badly hit by <keyword id="6362094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ransomware">ransomware</keyword>. One apparently ended up paying 40 bitcoins ($17,000/Rs. 11.27 lakhs). 
 My laptop recently got infected by one of the latest versions of this <keyword id="54201" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Malware">malware</keyword> which goes by the name ‘Cerber’. It was first detected last month by two malware analysts, so you obviously don’t expect your free <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Avast+Antivirus&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Avast Antivirus</a> to detect it, and it didn’t. 
 
Here’s what it does. 
 
The malware encrypts users' files using AES encryption and demands that victims pay a ransom of 1.24 Bitcoins, or approximately $500 (Rs.33k). 
 
It was silly of me to download and install what seemed an interesting free software, and I sealed my fate. You’ve been warned. 
 
Interestingly, I hear Cerber checks if the victim is from a particular country. If the computer appears to be from any of the following countries, it will terminate itself and not encrypt the computer. 
 
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan 
 
If the victim is not from one of the above countries, which I’m not, the Cerber installs itself in the %AppData%\{2ED2A2FE-872C-D4A0-17AC-E301404F1CBA}\ folder and names itself after a random Windows executable. It restarts the computer soon after, and the ransomware begins wreaking havoc with my files, encrypting each document's filename and adding a .CERBER extension to it. 
 
When encrypting your data, Cerber will scan your drive letters for any files that match its list of over 50 file extensions. When it finds a match, it encrypts the file using AES-256 encryption, encrypt the file's name, and adds .CERBER extension to it. So your file Office_Presentation.doc may be renamed as Zu0ITC4HoQ.cerber. 
 
The worst is yet to come. Cerber creates 3 ransom notes on your desktop, and in every folder it has attacked. These files are called # DECRYPT MY FILES #.html, # DECRYPT MY FILES #.txt, and # DECRYPT MY FILES #.vbs. These ransom notes have threats and instructions on what has happened to your data, and every single one has links to the Tor decryption service where you can make the ransom payment and retrieve the decryptor. 
 
At the end of each ransom note there’s this Latin quote: 
 

	Quod me non necat me fortiorem facit 
	- Cerber Ransom Note
 
In English, this translates to ‘That which does not kill me makes me stronger’. That made my blood boil. 
 
Anyway, Cerber is special than other ‘unsophisticated’ malware out there. The # DECRYPT MY FILES #.vbs file contains VBScript, which will cause the victim's computer to speak to them. You heard me right! 
 
My attacker spoke to me via an automated message that says this: 
 
<audio controls="">
	 </source></audio>
 
That can scare anybody. The geek in me was worried for the first time. 
 
If you have the money, which I didn’t, you go to the decrypttozxybarc.onion Tor site, which acts as the payment and decryption service. This site is called Cerber Decryptor and can be accessed in 12 languages. 
 
Once you select the language, you will be prompted to enter a captcha, and will be greeted with the main Cerber Decryptor page. This page will provide information on how to pay the ransom, the ransom amount, and the worst part? 
 
<a href="http://www.bleepstatic.com/images/news/ransomware/cerber/cerber-decryptor.jpg">Image Source</a> 
The ransom will double if not paid within 7 days. WHAT! 
 
Once a victim makes a payment to the listed bitcoin address, their payment will be shown in the Payment History section of the decryptor page. After a certain amount of bitcoin transaction confirmations, this page will then provide a download link for the victim's unique decryptor. 
 
<a href="http://www.bleepstatic.com/images/news/ransomware/cerber/cerber-decryptor.jpg">Image Source</a> 
The sad truth is there is no way to decrypt your files for free. If you’re a victim, the best option is to restore your files from a backup. If you don’t have one, like me, God help you. 
 
<a href="http://media.indiatimes.in/media/content/2016/Jan/chinese-hackers-target-southeast-asia-india-researchers-say-1437465357_1453797016_725x725.jpg">Image Source</a> 
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