Macro Systems Blog

Ransomware is the most terrifying type of malware out there: it can have a variety of negative effects on a business, yet it seems to still be on the fringe of the mainstream. Listed below is a refresher course on ransomware. 

The rising popularity of ransomware has been disconcerting to many IT professionals, especially due to the different tactics that this malware variant has been spotted utilizing. In order to protect your business from these attacks, it helps to know how they work. Listed below is a beginner’s guide to ransomware types to help you identify and avoid them.

There have been less Ransomware attacks in both 2018 and thus far in 2019 when compared to 2017. Alas, recent events have made it more likely that this trend will reverse in the near future. Why is that? Simple: some municipalities have set a precedent of paying up.

Your organization is susceptible to countless threats and vulnerabilities, all of which aim to harm your business. These hazards include all kinds of technology-related issues that cause downtime and other negative situations that your organization has to overcome. Listed below are some of the threats you face every day, as well as an appropriate response to each.

There was an era when we didn’t have to worry about catching computer viruses on our cell phones. However, with the exponential growth of mobile technologies, including application development options, mobile malware is now a problem, and it can become a significant problem for your business. Below we'll take a look at the increasing mobile malware market, including the risks and what you can do to keep it from being a problem for you.

If you have an Asus laptop, there is a possibility that a recent update could have installed malware. We are strongly recommending anyone who owns an Asus device reach out to us to have it looked at.

Modern security solutions have made good strides to protect businesses, but there are still a lot of threats out there that can cause problems for your business. If you don’t take a proactive stance on security, you could leave your network vulnerable to incoming threats of all types. Macro Systems will help your business comprehend what threats are out there, why they are dangerous, and what you can do to keep your business secure.

With a limited market share that is one-third the size of Google’s, you would think that Bing would be trying to keep controversy away from a user’s search results. Nonetheless, the Microsoft search engine has recently experienced a few notable PR disasters that may be enough to persuade some not to use it.

Ransomware has been a serious threat to all kinds of organizations for a couple of years, and 2018 is no different. For those who are somehow unaware, ransomware is a form of malicious software that threatens the elimination of hijacked and encrypted data if a user doesn’t pay a ransom. It is known to be one of the most prolific and pervasive threats seen on the Internet today. Below we'll examine how ransomware has evolved over the past several years, what the future of ransomware looks like, and what you can do to protect yourself against it.

Phishing scams have one of the most descriptive names in all of computing, mostly because of how similar phishing is with fishing. When someone goes fishing or phishing, bait is dangled in the hopes of getting a bite, and different types of bait can be used, depending on the catch one is trying to make.

Every business owner must contemplate how to approach network security. This is especially true with the continuously-growing list of threats that face their organization’s network from simply being connected to the Internet. It may sound like an overstatement, but when considering what some huge corporations have dealt with very recently, it becomes evident that figuring out how to approach cybersecurity is one of the most vital considerations any business owner has to make.

Some cyber threats out there are dangerous enough to cause major entities to warn against them. Specifically, a recent malware called VPNFilter has been deemed hazardous and prevalent enough that the FBI has addressed it. Since the malware targets routers, it has significant potential to become a considerable problem for your business.

Cybercriminals and hackers, like most people, have a tendency to gravitate towards high-reward activities. In this instance, that means that focus is turning to developing malware that attacks the router, potentially infecting the users that leverage it to connect wirelessly to the Internet. Researchers at Kaspersky Lab discovered an example of such a malware; let's examine this threat and how to best protect your network.

Email is usually promoted as a favorite medium for iniating cyberattacks against organizations and individuals. Why? Because it’s easy to hide the true intent behind an email attack within its contents, whether they are embedded images in the message itself, or links to external sources. How can you be absolutely certain that the links in your email inbox are legitimate and secure?

In a statement issued by Tom Bossert, the Homeland Security Adviser to the White House, responsibility for the WannaCry attacks from May 12th to the 15th in 2017 was attributed to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This claim fits with the conclusions that New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Japan have come to, according to Bossert.

The variety of malware known as ransomware erupted in popularity in 2016, encrypting victims’ files and demanding cryptocurrency payments to restore the data to the estimated tune of $1 billion. This may imply that large corporations are the primary targets of these cyber criminals; for some cyber criminals, they are.

A new malware swept across the globe Tuesday, incorporating facets of many ransomwares that have made headlines recently. While it originally appeared to be a variant of the Petya ransomware, it has been determined that it shares more in common with WannaCry. However, “NotPetya,” as it has been named, has a few additional features that experts say make it worse than either of its predecessors.

It doesn’t matter which industry your organization falls into. Your business will always be susceptible to threats in some way, shape, or form. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your business understands how to protect itself from these threats, before it’s too late. We’ll help you learn more about the various issues that you need to watch out for, and what you can do to stop them.

On June 12th, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a warning to power grid operators and electric utilities concerning a newly surfaced malware called CrashOverride (aka Industroyer). Only, it’s not entirely new. The world has seen this before and the fallout from it is concerning.

When you hear the term “hacker,” what do you imagine? You likely see what many see, a lone user hunched over a computer, creating chaos for chaos’ sake. However, this is a dangerously narrow view of those who qualify as “hackers.”