PDF Version: Tips-To-Mitigate-Email-Phishing-Attacks
Author: centexitguy Page 35 of 140
Cyber criminals keep on evolving virus and malware to make them advanced and more dangerous. This allows them to target new vulnerabilities and operating system versions. To keep the business network secure, it is important for businesses to have in-depth information about new virus and malware. This knowledge comes handy in creating strategies to protect the systems against these virus & malware.
So, here is a list of most dangerous virus & malware threats of 2020 to help businesses understand and strategize against these cyber attacks:
- Clop Ransomware: Clop is a variant of CryptoMix ransomware that targets Windows users. Clop ransomware blocks the Windows processes and disables multiple Windows applications including Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials. Once these applications are blocked, the ransomware encrypts the data files on the target system and demands ransom in exchange of decryption key.
- Fake Windows Update (Hidden Ransomware): Cyber criminals have been taking advantage of the need for installing latest Windows updates. The latest ransomware makes use of phishing email that instructs users to install urgent Windows update. The email contains ransomware ‘.exe’ files that are disguised as Windows update link. The ransomware, known as ‘Cyborg’, encrypts all the files and programs and demands a ransom payment for decrypting the files.
- Zeus Gameover: It is a part of Zeus family of malware and viruses. The piece of malware is a Trojan that accesses sensitive bank account details to steal the funds. This variant of Zeus family does not require a centralized “Command & Control” server. It can actually bypass centralized servers and create independent servers to send sensitive information.
- RaaS: It is also known as “Ransomware as a Service” is a growing industry. People can hire a hacker or team of hackers to perform the attack for them. These services can be used by people with zero prior knowledge of coding to carry out dangerous cyber attacks.
- Fleeceware: It is a type of malware that continues to charge large amounts of money to app users, even after they have deleted their accounts from the app. Although, this malware doesn’t infect or encrypt any user files, it is still a shady practice used by app developers wanting to cash on unsuspecting users.
For more information on latest cybersecurity techniques, contact Centex Technologies at (254) 213 – 4740.
As the number of organizations investing in digital marketing is increasing, there has been an increase in fraudsters trying to take advantage of digital marketing platforms to drain revenue from such organizations. Click fraud is an example of frauds based on digital marketing and occurs on PPC online advertizing.
Let Us Understand The PPC Concept-
PPC or Pay-Per-Click is an online advertizing campaign. An organization contacts relevant websites, bloggers, influencers, etc. to place its ad on their page to attract target audience. When a user clicks on the advertizement, he is redirected to the landing page of the advertizing website resulting in higher lead generation. The website that places the ad on its page is paid a certain amount for every user that clicks on the advertizement.
What Is Click Fraud?
A click fraud is a technique that is used to falsely increase the number of clicks on a PPC ad. In other words, a click fraud or ‘invalid clicks’ (as termed by Google) is when a paid advertizement is intentionally clicked repeatedly. Higher the number of clicks on the ad, higher is the amount paid by the advertizer to the host website (where the ad is posted). The aim of a click fraud is to either generate higher revenue for the host website or drain revenue from the advertizer. One of the common techniques employed in click frauds is the use of click bots.
What Is A Click Bot?
A bot is a software that operates on the internet and is used to perform repetitive tasks. Click bots are used by the fraudulent websites to repetitively click on advertisements posted on their website in order to increase the number of clicks.
How Does Click Fraud Impact The Advertizer?
A click fraud impacts an advertizer in numerous ways:
- It costs an advertizer higher PPC cost.
- It drains a business of investment money that could be used for other business development tasks.
- It results in inaccurate results from PPC campaign data analysis leading to misinformed critical marketing decisions.
How To Fight Against Click Fraud?
- It is common for competitors to launch click fraud attacks to impact each other’s marketing campaign. In order to avoid this, search Google for keywords relevant to your niche and identify your competitors. After identifying the major competitors, use tools like ClickForensics, AdWatcher or ClickDefense fraudulent ad clicks.
- Closely monitor your campaigns using different tools. It will give you a fair idea of how the campaign is performing in relevance to your campaign goals.
- Some websites may offer low PPC rates; however be vigilant to choose high-value sites. Thoroughly research the websites to find a relevant & suitable site that is full of potential customers.
- Employ bot management to identify fraud bots and block them from an application/website.
- You can also invest in fraud prevention software that are specifically designed to spot and avoid click frauds.
For more information on Ads management and click-fraud prevention, contact Centex Technologies at (254) 213 – 4740.
PDF Version: Role-Of-IoT-In-eCommerce
In order to build an understanding of Cloud Migration for businesses, let us first acquaint ourselves to the term. The term Cloud Migration is used to define the process of moving & organizing different applications, organizational data and other resources from an on-premises data center to the cloud. Cloud is a computing model which stores the data on internet through a third-party cloud computing provider who manages & operates data storage as a service.
Once a business decides to migrate its data to cloud, the foremost step is to choose an appropriate strategy. Different strategies suit different situations/businesses. Here are the strategies a business can choose from:
- Rehost Or Lift-And-Shift Model: It is the simplest model where an existing application is shifted to a new environment without making any modifications to its integrity. It is suitable for businesses that are new to cloud storage as it offers quick implementation & low cost benefits.
- Re-Platform Or Lift-And-Optimize: It requires the business to make minimum changes to an application’s code or architecture when moving it to cloud. It allows businesses to make few optimizations while maintain the integrity of the application.
- Repurchase Or Drop-And-Shop: Under this strategy, a business replaces its existing applications with new ones available on the system. It saves the cost for developing a unique system, as businesses can integrate into an established system for a seamless migration.
- Refractor Or Re-Architect: It is a time-consuming but long term solution as businesses are required to rebuild their applications. It could involve automatically scaling certain apps or integrating new features such as server-less computing.
- Retain Or Hybrid Model: Applications and data can be split up between two sources (cloud & on-premises for an increased security. However, it requires training on new applications or splitting of teams.
After choosing a suitable strategy, businesses can start with the stepwise process of cloud migration.
- Assess: Businesses should analyze the resources (including time & money) required for cloud migration. It is important to consider if any training would be required after cloud migration, costs involved and if it would make sense for the business.
- Pilot Testing: Start by implementing cloud migration to a small amount of sample data and test this system with a small team. Use the feedback to decide if it would be beneficial to scale the system to multiple teams or to the entire organization.
- Initiate: Once the testing phase succeeds, it is time to start the actual migration process. The time consumed in cloud migration depends upon the type of strategy chosen by the business.
- Organize: After the data movement is complete, it is important to know how much data has been moved and how to keep it organized. This helps in preventing any data loss.
- Optimize: Identify if any immediate steps can be taken to improve the system and how will they impact the business.
For more information on cloud migration for businesses, contact Centex Technologies at (254) 213 – 4740.