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Ukraine cyberattacks could be sign of things to come – Secure your systems
Your accounts and devices are always at risk for cyberattacks. You could be personally targeted or be one of thousands or millions of victims if a company you have an account with is hacked.
The Red Cross was recently targeted by cybercriminals, exposing more than half a million people’s data. Tap or click here for our report.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has coincided with a wave of cyberattacks. Data-wiping software has been found on hundreds of computers in Ukraine due to an increasing number of attacks. Keep reading to find out what’s going on and how you could be impacted.
Here’s the backstory
On Wednesday, cybersecurity research firm ESET said on Twitter that it discovered new data-wiping malware circulating in Ukraine.
ESET also stated that the malware was installed on hundreds of machines and that “the attack might have been in preparation for almost two months.” Cybersecurity software company Symantec is looking into the attacks and found evidence that they are also occurring in Lithuania.
Symantec identifies the malware as Trojan.Killdisk, which comes “in the form of an executable file, which is signed by a certificate issued to Hermetica Digital Ltd.” Once the file is executed, the wiper damages the Master Boot Record, making it inoperable.
Symantec also observed that ransomware was deployed against organizations at the same time as the wiper. This shows that ransomware may have been used as a decoy during the wiper attacks.
Reuters reports that Russia has denied accusations that it was involved in these attacks.
Staying safe
Even though these specific attacks aren’t happening in the U.S. yet, it’s more important than ever to ensure that public and private sector systems are secure. The same goes for your personal devices such as computers and smartphones.
Follow these tips to reduce your likelihood of being hacked:
- Stay updated – Make sure your firmware and operating systems (OS) are constantly updated. Check your OS (Windows or Mac) regularly and turn on automatic updates. Do the same for your iPhone or Android devices.
- Use a reliable antivirus – We recommend our sponsor TotalAV. TotalAV offers continuous protection from the latest threats and its AI-driven Web Shield browser extension blocks dangerous websites automatically. Go to ProtectWithKim.com now to save 85% on total protection you can trust.
- Add a layer of security – Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all your devices to add an extra layer of security. Tap or click here for details on protecting your online accounts with 2FA.
- Use strong, unique passwords – A password manager takes the guesswork out of this step. Tap or click here for more on password managers.
- Watch out for phishing attacks – Don’t click links or open attachments that you receive in unsolicited emails and texts. If a message gives you a sense of urgency, delete it. Spelling and grammar errors are also red flags.
- Keep your home network secure – Tap or click here for tips on securing your home network.
Keep reading
Why ransomware attacks are exploding
Phone hacked? Apple says it will alert you if your iPhone is infected with spyware
Tags: antivirus, Apple, Apple iPhone, cyberattacks, cybersecurity, firmware, malware, operating systems, ransomware, Red Cross, Russia, two-factor authentication, Ukraine, Web Shield
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