Malware, viruses, spyware, ransomware and a sleuth of other infectious software is constantly undergoing changes and evolving to be more robust and penetrate normal anti-virus software and firewalls.  Many viruses that are traversing the internet and various computer networks today are developed by nation state hackers, and have a level of sophistication never seen before.

According to The Higher Information Group, Five of the most damaging viruses of 2017 were developed in part either by state sponsored programs or corporate entities who lost control of their code to hackers.

  • Conficker - A worm that leaks the Windows Administrator Password
  • Stuxnet/INDUSTOYER - This famous software has been used to harm physical hardware which has already led to Power Outages
  • Wannacry - Ransomware that targeted Windows systems and encrypted files and folders demanding a bitcoin payment
  • Petya/NOPETYA - A particularly malicious form of ransomware which demanded a payment of $300 to decrypt your files, but in reality it's goal was to destroy the information on your computer.
  • EternalBlue - This virus was developed by the NSA, and was taken apart and used by other hackers to developer the Wannacry variant of ransomware.

Much of the malware found today is related to the viruses and infections listed above, making it more difficult for normal anti-virus protection to keep your computers and network secure.  These types of malware will bind themselves to the computer registry, meaning you need to dig deep into the different system files where the malware keeps itself.  Malware also changes the permissions of your computer, often elevating the security on the folders you need to access to remove them.

More businesses and individuals are opting for a managed IT solution to monitor and protect their system and networks.  A managed IT solution means having professional technical assistance for your critical and business systems at any time, who are professionally trained and up to date on all new malware and viruses.  Managed IT providers like Natural Networks work with our industry partners so we know how to remove and prevent these types of malware from harming your computers.

Do you think you may be dealing with a virus or infection on your computer?  Sometimes it can be hard to tell if your computer is running slower than usual because it's infected, or for some other reason.

Things to look for to see if your computers infected:

  • Your browser home page has changed
  • You can't access certain websites or get redirected to different websites
  • Your browser has new unfamiliar toolbars
  • Your computer is freezing or slow
  • You see unfamiliar processes using a lot of CPU or memory in the Task Manager
  • You have unfamiliar icons on your desktop
  • You can't update your computer
  • You keep getting errors
  • Your computer keeps restarting

If the above sounds familiar to you, it's likely your computer may be infected.  And if your computer is connected to your home or businesses network you could be putting those at risk as well.  You can get rid of malware and prevent future infections with the help of professional technicians and a managed IT solution from Natural Networks.

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