As Web Security continues to be an on-going issue, it is important to know just how and where to look for harmful attacks before they even begin. These harmful attacks will sprout not only in your personal email, but also on your favorite social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. From a shortened article link on your home feed, to an event request being used to spam your contacts, Facebook has been labeled as a major target for web attacks. “Most major brands have a presence on Facebook and Twitter, and many are integrating social media into their actual products. As these web destinations draw massive audiences and are accepted into enterprise settings, more opportunities to deliver malware are also created.”
Furthermore, attacks have spurred across frequent shopping sites. Users are 21 times more likely to get hit with malware from online shopping sites and 27 more times likely with a search engine, than if they'd gone to a counterfeit software site according to Cisco’s 2013 Report. The reason behind this is because of the lowered user awareness toward harmful attacks, as a sense of security is felt when viewing notable and popular websites. The “bad guys” have come to know just this, and so, they have begun to take over many of today’s frequently used websites and search engines through third-party distribution networks.
Although these attacks may seem impossible to stop, there are multiple ways to prevent any further damage to your data and personal information. First and foremost, before you try to open unfamiliar data, notify your I.T department of any suspicious emails/popup advertisements. By doing so, you are not only saving your personal data, but you are stopping the attack from reaching the network.
Second, install LastPass to your desktop or PC. LastPass is a password manager that saves your login/password combinations to a secure application to ensure web security from key logging. LastPass is also convenient to where they will automatically place the login and password combinations onto your saved websites. If you would like to know more on LastPass, visit their website at https://lastpass.com/how-it-works/ .
