Bot malware is a growing cybersecurity threat
If in talking about bots you begin to think of the amazing and wonderful AI chatbots that have been all over the news lately, we’d forgive you. It’s only a matter of what is most in the forefront of the news that is most in the forefront of the mind, after all!
But this post isn’t a feel-good news story. You see, bots are simply automated programs that do whatever they’re programmed to do. Some bots are programmed for good and useful purposes, while others (malware bot) are programmed for ill-conceived purposes. Yes, bot malware is a worrying new cybersecurity risk that you need to know about to defend your business against it.
The reason that malware bots are particularly dangerous is because they steal whole user profiles: they get a complete snapshot of your ID and settings. Potentially, this allows cybercriminals to bypass strong security measures, including Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). This is a serious problem!
Usually, if a cybercriminal steals your username and password, they still cannot access your account because they don’t have access to your MFA authentication method. However, with your whole profile available to them, using your cookies and device configurations, they can trick security systems and effectively switch off MFA.
Once profile information is stolen, it is sold on the dark web for as little as $5.
As if that’s not bad enough…
And it’s not even super-sophisticated cybercriminals deploying this technique. Just about anyone can obtain your details and used them for phishing emails, scams, and other criminal activities.
Since 2018, 5 million people have had 26.6 million usernames and passwords stolen, giving access to accounts, including Microsoft, Google, and Facebook.
All this means that there are things you need to do–right now–as in, immediately–without delay–posthaste! You need to keep your profiles and your business protected from bot malware.
What do you need to do?
Follow these three guidelines:
- Update your antivirus software and keep it on at all times.
- Use a password manager and MFA to keep your login credentials safer.
- Encrypt all your files, so that, even if someone does access your profile, there’s very little to steal.
We know IT
We help our clients with these things. Every. Single. Day. We can help you too! Reach out right now for cybersecurity support and all your IT needs.
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.