Hackers: Who are they and what do they do?
Ok, so what is a hacker? A hacker is anyone that gains access to a computer system without authorisation or in an unauthorised way. They have a high level of technical know-how but did you know there are different types of hackers? Wait, what are the different types of hackers? Hackers are referred to by […]
Spoof Emails: How To Spot A Spoof
What is a spoof email? A spoof email is when a person sends an email pretending to be someone else, in order to trick the recipient into handing over sensitive information or money. Sensitive information could be your bank card numbers, address, postcode, phone numbers, answers to security questions or even login information for online […]
Keyloggers: Viruses and Malware
In our last blog, we looked at spyware and how it could sneakily record everything you did on your computer. Today’s we’re looking at keyloggers, a variation of spyware with a very specific way of tracking. What’s a keylogger? Like spyware, a keylogger is designed to work covertly with malicious intent, but instead of potentially […]
Spyware: Viruses and Malware
We have seen a lot of cases of spyware-infected machines in our workshop, but what is so secretive about spyware? What is Spyware and what can it do? Spyware is programmed to be covert, gathering information and sending it off to its developer without you even knowing it’s there. Like a secret service spy hiding […]
Adware: Viruses and Malware
Adware is a common type of malware that can be particularly annoying. Simply put, adware is unwanted software that displays advertisements on your screen. These ads can occur as pop-ups, on your internet browsers, as toolbars, or in any way that ads can be displayed. Though don’t confuse this with genuine adverts that run on […]
Rootkits and Bootkits: Viruses and Malware
In this post, we will be covering Rootkits and Bootkits. These are two of the trickiest types of malware to detect and remove. But before we start let’s talk about kernels. A kernel is a computer program at the core of a computer’s (or phone’s or tablet’s) operating system and has control over everything. The […]
Worms: Viruses and Malware
It’s time for another blog in our Viruses and Malware series – and today, we’re looking at worms – and not that sort of worm! What are worms? Worms are one of the earliest forms of computer malware (and if you want to read more about the earliest form, you can read our introduction here […]
Trojans and Ransomware: Viruses and Malware
Welcome to the second blog in our Viruses and Malware series – today, we’re looking at Trojans and Ransomware. What are Trojans? Named after the Trojan Horse from the Greek myths, this type of malware works in a very similar way. Here’s an example: You receive an email containing a PDF document about horses and […]
Introduction: Viruses and Malware
Computer malware and viruses are terms we’ve all heard of before but what do they mean? What different types are there? And how do you protect against each of them? In the next series of blogs, we’re going to look at the most common types of viruses and how they can infect your system, and […]
Password Security: How can you keep your accounts secure?
Passwords are normally the one thing standing between you and hackers who are after your data. We often hear the phrases ‘strong’ or ‘weak’ password but what is it that makes a password secure? How do hackers guess passwords? And, most importantly, how can we ensure our passwords will protect us? Today we’re going to […]