6 malware tips to protect you and your family

Cyber threats are increasing, as are the anxieties that come with them. In a recent F‑Secure survey of 4,000 people, 63% of all respondents said that they are worried about becoming a victim of cyber crime — with that number increasing to 82% for parents. However, by following some simple malware tips you can greatly reduce the associated risks and concerns.

Malware is a kind of soft­ware that gets installed on your device without your knowledge, and which then performs a malicious action, such as stealing data, extorting money, or monitoring your online activity. Sadly, though, protecting against malware threats is made more difficult by the sheer amount of time we’re connected nowadays, with F‑Secure data revealing that people aged between 18 and 34 now spend 11 hours‑per‑day online.

But by following the malware tips in this post — and by using a security application such as F‑Secure Total — you can protect you and your family from this ever-increasing collection of cyber threats.

1. Mobile malware

Over the last two years, mobile security has been affected by the increase in malware on Android and iOS. As a result, F‑Secure strongly recommends that you avoid using unofficial builds of apps for mobile devices. And you should only install apps from official sources, like Google Play, Samsung Galaxy Store and Apple App Store.

The Internet is filled with cracked soft­ware, modded APKs (Android Package Kit), and application hacks, said Amit Tambe, a researcher at F‑Secure. Often, these sorts of riskware are fake and may contain malicious trojans or malware that will infect your computer. Always down­load from trusted sources.

2. Check reviews

When it comes to applications, one of the best malware tips is to be on guard when it comes to reviews, and this also applies to details in official app stores. Before installing an application, you should check out user reviews and look for fake comments; an app with only 5‑star reviews and very poor reviews could possibly mean that the users have experienced some unusual or bad activities after installation.

Check an app’s reviews for fake comments and overly positive 5‑star evaluations, said Sarogini Muniyandi, Senior Manager in F‑Secure’s Threat Protection Engineering team. Like­wise, look out for very poor reviews, which could come from victims who have experienced unusual or malicious activities after installation.

3. Prevent infection

Prevention is better than cure. And malware infections will usually try to avoid detection and keep victims in the dark. Therefore, it is always easier to prevent a cyber attack than to deal with one retrospectively, which can be achieved by avoiding prominent malware infection routes — such as clicking on unknown links, applications, and email attachments.

However, prevention isn’t always possible, so — as well as following our malware tips — it’s also important to ensure that you use a reputable security application, such as F‑Secure Total will detect malware before it gets the chance to infect your device, or remove it if it’s already present.

4. Scan for viruses

You should scan regularly for viruses and the best way to do this is by using an application such as F‑Secure Total, which includes real-time and automated scanning. If your anti­virus soft­ware finds an infection, change your pass­words immediately for accounts that may have been compromised, using a strong pass­word generator. And try and keep track of your data.

A tool like F‑Secure’s ID Protection helps you check if your information has been breached, explained Yik Han, a researcher at F‑Secure. Watch out for any unusual activity related to your data — such as increased spam, unusual calls, or misuse of your email to sign up for services.

5. Avoid unknown sources

Avoid unknown sources when possible and have your internet security enabled when down­loading and installing files. Also, where children and gaming are concerned, one of the most important malware tips is to avoid cheat offers and cracked/pirated installers, as it’s extremely common for threat actors to deliver a trojan that’s hidden within them.

Information stealers (info­stealers) often arrive as fake installers or cheats for gaming apps, said Patricia Dacuno, Senior Researcher at F‑Secure. That’s why your family should only down­load soft­ware from trusted and official web­sites. Also, avoid opening attachments and clicking links from email messages coming from unknown senders.

6. No autofill

Although it is incredibly convenient, one of F‑Secure’s key malware tips is to avoid saving information to your browser’s autofill settings, as the widespread usage of this functionality in web browsers has made it a common target for info­stealers.

To protect your data from being stolen, avoid using the autofill feature of the browser as much as possible — especially for sensitive information, such as user­names, pass­words, billing information, or any personal identification, said Patricia Dacuno, Senior Researcher at F‑Secure.