In our daily life, we used to pay attention to our home security, however, have you ever doubted about your home computer being hacked? Hackers often install Trojan horse on your computer without your acknowledge and use it to steal your important data. They can also use it to remote control your computer camera and microphone for peeping and eavesdropping. As cryptocurrency has become popular and valuable nowadays, hackers may use Trojan horse to control a lot of computers which belong to other people for crypto mining illegally. Such crypto mining attack can slow down the computer and Internet speed, increase the electricity consumption and decrease the lifespan of the computer.
Crypto mining attack is actually spreading all over the world. UM has also received an information security alert from the Cybersecurity Incidents Alert and Response Center (CARIC) of Macao that some computers of several organizations in Macao have been infected with crypto mining malware this year since February and there is an upward trend. To ensure information security, please refer to the following tips to protect your computer immediately:
- Keep your computer up to date, patch or upgrade the operation system and software for vulnerability as soon as possible.
- Enable the real-time protection and monitoring feature of antivirus software, scan the computer regularly and keep the version up to date.
- Only download software from the official website of the vendor/publisher.
- Don’t download any type of cracked or hacked programs.
- Don’t click links and open attachments in suspicious email.
- Securely maintain and manage your user account and password, i.e. enable two-factor authentication (2FA) service and use more complicated password.
If you found any of the below signs on your computer, it may be infected by virus or malware:
- Loss of performance, frequent freezing or crashing.
- Overheating or battery drops faster.
- Loss of information, file deleted/modified or hard drive formatted without your permission.
- Unexpected modification of web browser homepage, unwanted pop-up or redirects to websites you are not intended to visit.
- Antivirus software is closed or stopped running.
If you suspect that your UM user account has been hacked or computer has been infected, please contact ICTO Help Desk immediately.
Reference
· Don’t Let a Phishing Scam Reel You In
· How to download and install software in a secure manner?
· Are you ready to prevent Ransomware?
· Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
· How to choose a strong password?
· Basic Knowledge of Online Safety and Security
· Other Information Security Tips