Basically, encryption is a way to transmit a message in code. The only person who can decode the message is the person with the right key; to anyone else, the message looks like a random series of letters, numbers, and characters. Encryption is essential if you are trying to send sensitive information that other people […]

A collection of software tools that enable an unauthorized user to gain remote access to a computer system without being detected. A type of malware that opens a perpetual “back door” into a computer system. Once installed, a rootkit will allow additional viruses to infect a computer as various hackers find and compromise the vulnerable […]

Do Not Track is a setting in most internet browsers that allows you to express your preference not to be tracked across the web. Turning on Do Not Track through your web browser sends a signal to every website you visit that you don’t want to be tracked from site to site. Companies then know […]

Spyware, also known as “adware,” is defined as a dangerous type of malware that quietly gathers a user’s sensitive information, including their browsing and computing habits, and reports it to unauthorized third parties. Your compromised information can then become a target for financial crimes, identity theft and more. To prevent and protect against spyware, security […]

A program that spreads by first infecting files or the system areas of a computer or network router’s hard drive and then making copies of itself. Some viruses are harmless, others may damage data files, and some may destroy files entirely. Protect yourself and your devices with up-to-date antivirus software.

Ransomware identifies the drives on an infected system and begins to encrypt the files within each drive. Ransomware generally adds an extension to the encrypted files, such as .aaa, .micro, .encrypted, .ttt, .xyz, .zzz, .locky, .crypt, .cryptolocker, .vault, or .petya, to show that the files have been encrypted—the file extension used is unique to the […]