Words of Wisdom

Is that new app you downloaded legitimate? Of course, its a password manager why wouldn't it be safe?

This linear thinking created a ransomware disaster for one company and serves as a solid reminder to all of us to stay vigilant when installing ANYTHING on ANY device.

While there are literally millions of apps available on many different platforms today (think tablet, laptop, desktop and smart phone) there are nearly as many trojan (pretending to be) apps hoping you will install them instead of legitimate copies.

The fake password manager in question was downloaded through an add on BING (yes ads are not necessarily safe). Once the user installed the infected copy of the password manager the criminals behind the scenes were able to gain access to critical systems and ultimately install ransomware.

A few key things to remember when downloading and installing software (apps) for your device:

Make sure you utilize a trusted source like official (Apple App Store or Google Play Store)
Avoid third-party app stores or websites as they might host malicious apps. (anything you see on an add for example)
If you are not sure call you IT department and ask, always better to check with someone instead of making a big mistake.

#StayVigilant #HardentheTarget #CyberResilience