In the COVID era, the online world has become more prominent than ever before. As people begin to work from home, communicate through Zoom, and other digital uses, online and network security is essential for many purposes.
However, as people increasingly move online, hackers have seen more opportunities for data theft than ever before. To protect yourself, you need to know whether your personal network faces a security risk.
How can you determine whether you’re at risk? If that’s the question plaguing you, then let us provide an answer. In this guide, we’ll present five tips for determining threats to your network security.
1. Ransomware Messaging
The most upfront sign of a network attack is ransomware messaging. These messages appear on the home pages of websites and restrict access to some content.
People often think that these attacks come from an employee visiting infected sites while working. However, many attacks are more subtle. They begin with somebody opening an email or a spam message.
From there, the person who opens these gets directed to a malware website. In many cases, these sources look legitimate to give people a sense of security.
Even before COVID, ransomware attacks have increased by a staggering number. Experts trace this spike as far back as 2016.
2. Computers Work Without Input
This eerie phenomenon is a clear sign of a security risk. If you open your computer and see that a mouse pointer is moving alone to directed places, this means you’ve been hacked.
Specifically, this refers to a remote desktop hack. An attack like this often frightens everyone on the network, as it clearly demonstrates there’s a threat to your work. Even worse, you may not know how to fix it.
If you want to prevent people from striking your network this way, you need security solutions. An example of such solutions is IoT security solutions.
3. Receiving Strange Messages
This symptom affects both personal and professional networks. In this signal, the hacked person’s account sends strange messages to people in their contact list.
An example would be a hacked account sending messages unknowingly to people in their contact lists. The message could be something innocent, like, “please download these files from management’s recent presentation.” Once the person downloads the files, a hacker gains access to other users.
4. Network Files Suddenly Have Encryptions
Hackers often decide to profit through ransom threats. So, once they gain access to a network, they encrypt several vital files that the company needs.
The trouble is, it’s nearly impossible for people to detect encryptions until they click on files. If you realize documents have unauthorized encryptions, there’s a high likelihood that you face a security threat.
5. Unusual Redirects
Hackers can often set up ways to redirect your computer searches. If the browser redirects you to something besides your home page, it likely indicates a hacker. The same holds if your browser takes you to sites you didn’t search.
Respond Quickly to Threats
Any security risk is something to deal with quickly. Strengthen network security by hiring an IT consultant or investing more in security software.
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