Just when you thought you were safe from WannaCry, a new bully is on the playground called Fireball. And this malware has already infected over a quarter billion computers worldwide! One of out every five corporate networks have been compromised. Most of these are in other countries as the US, thankfully for now, only accounts for 2.2% of the infected devices.
How does this malware differ from the others? It sneaks its way onto user’s devices through bundling, where it is paired with other freeware products. Once it is installed, it then utilizes the victim’s browser to turn their search engines and home pages into fake ones. It then installs plugins to boost advertisements and generate ad revenue for the hacker who created Fireball.
We recently covered this seemingly benign threat. While it appears the only current downside is a hacker using your computer to blindly help them make money, don’t forget, they have access to your electronic device. So, at any point, they could change their code and do some serious damage to individuals and corporate enterprises! Remember, free is almost never “free”.
If you’re uncertain if you’ve become a victim of this or any other malware, or just want a good assessment of your systems and their structure and security, contact Optfinity and we’ll provide you with a free, no obligation assessment to help give you peace of mind.
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