Don’t Be Caught by These Common Scams - Part Five

Malicious Attachments

Greeting cards, for example, are received via e-mail and seem to be from a friend. When the e-mail and greeting card are opened, malicious software is downloaded and installed on the receiver’s operating system. Such malware can be in the form of an annoying programme that will launch pop-ups with adverts or it can be ransomware, where it encrypts or blocks access to data and requires a payment to decrypt or unblock it.

If an operating system becomes infected with such dangerous malware, it can send confidential data and financial information to a fraudulent server that is controlled by cyber criminals. To minimise damage from such a ransom, have a strong backup and recovery policy implemented and isolate the infected computer as soon as possible, to prevent the ransomware from spreading. Also, protect all shared network drives with a password.