Malware Archives - Tech Prognosis Blog

Cryptocurrency Mining: A Simple Guide for Everyone

December 3, 2024October 22, 2024 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Navigating the World of Cryptocurrency Mining and Why Small Organizations Should Be Worried About Illicit Crypto Mining Activities

In recent years, cryptocurrencies have emerged as a revolutionary force in the financial world. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital currencies are becoming household names. But how exactly do these virtual currencies come into existence? At the heart of this digital revolution lies a process called cryptocurrency mining. For many, cryptocurrency mining remains a mysterious and complex activity, but it doesn’t have to be.

This article will demystify crypto mining, provide practical examples, and explore its various use cases in an easy-to-understand manner. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or someone curious about the digital currency world, this guide is for you.

What is cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency is a form of digital currency that can be used in exchange for goods, services, and even real money, similar to other currencies. However, unlike other currencies, cryptocurrency operates independently of a central bank and uses encryption techniques and blockchain technology to secure and verify transactions.

To quote Malwarebytes, “Two words—“cryptography” and “currency”—combine to form “cryptocurrency,” which is electronic money, based on the principles of complex mathematical encryption. All cryptocurrencies exist as encrypted decentralized monetary units, freely transferable between network participants.” Or put more simply, cryptocurrency is electricity converted into lines of code, which have a real monetary value. (See a detailed article by Malwarebytes on this topic here).

18 Ways to Address Critical Vulnerabilities in Technology Systems

October 25, 2023October 24, 2023 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Addressing critical vulnerabilities in your enterprise’s systems is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of your organization’s data and operations.

A recent security assessment of an organization’s information technology systems revealed several critical vulnerabilities that demanded immediate attention. In this article, we outline 18 necessary steps that could be taken to mitigate identified risks to technology systems.

What is a Vulnerability?

According to The Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) Foundation, a vulnerability is a hole or a weakness in the application, which can be a design flaw or an implementation bug, that allows an attacker to cause harm to the stakeholders of an application.

Examples of vulnerabilities could be things like:

Guards Up: Stop Cyber-Criminals From Preying On Your Business

October 1, 2023November 27, 2020 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Cyber-criminals are counting on you letting your guard down during this global coronavirus pandemic – Here’s how to stop them by keeping your guards up.

The world is slowing down during this COVID-19 pandemic. Wall Street is being hit hard. People are no longer going out. We’re told to quarantine or self-isolate and not engage in groups.

You can bet there’s one group that’s not slowing down at all. In fact, they’re probably working overtime while the rest of us have our lives turned upside down. Cyber-criminals and hackers know there’s no better time to strike than during a global crisis.

While you are distracted and spending your time trying to make sense of this new normal, they are finding new ways into your IT network so they can steal data and passwords, compromise your clients’ private information and even demand large ransoms.

Cyber-crime is already on the rise and is expected to cause $6 TRILLION in damages by 2021! But, if history repeats itself, hackers will be out in full force throughout this coronavirus scare. We fully expect in the upcoming weeks that headlines will change from stories about COVID-19 to accounts of a frenzy of cyber-attacks on corporations and small businesses.

Here are solutions you can implement now to keep your guards up and help protect your business data, money and productivity:

Webcam Spying: How To Protect The Privacy of Your Employees

February 15, 2020 by techprognosis

Exponential advancements in technology has brought with it a dark side. Webcam spying and hacking is on the rise, and it’s our own fault.

As the workforce grows more mobile and businesses grow globally, the task of keeping your employees and organization safe from cyber threats can no longer just be to safeguard them only against external threats.

It is increasing becoming apparent that a more insidious threat, referred to as “an insider threat” is more than capable of leaving the critical data of your business vulnerable.

A good example of this is an analyses of the way employees interact with data across the organization, and how their actions can unwittingly defeat the protection of business data while exposing themselves to privacy concerns like webcam spying, especially in organizations without effective workforce and computer security monitoring programs.

Do your employees ever complain of having a funny feeling that they are being watched in the office, or in their hotel rooms when they are on the road? If so, you’re in the same boat as a lot of other Internet users.

As creepy as it sounds, webcam hacking and spying is a real danger, and peeping Toms could be watching your employees’ every move, in the privacy of their hotel rooms.

Data Encryption Tools For The Mobile Business Executive

October 10, 2019 by techprognosis

Data encryption is not one of the security options most companies think of providing for their senior executives who use, and travel, with laptops, netbooks and tablets so they can stay productive even when on the road. This is even more true of corporate executives who sometimes demand anytime, anywhere access to data residing on corporate servers.

While the big corporations can afford to spend millions of dollars on data protection hardware and software., the same cannot be said of executives in small and medium-sized organizations, especially when it comes to loss of personal information, including credit card data, patient records or other financial information, stored by the company.

Data breaches happen and information is lost every day due to small mistakes that could have been avoided by using data encryption technologies. For small businesses, these data loss events can be devastating.

How You Can Protect Your Business From Crypto Ransomware

October 5, 2025October 4, 2019 by Daniel Ihonvbere

You know it is very bad news when you see the message above on your computer screen: That is what a crypto ransomware notification looks like. And if you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve certainly heard about how cities and local governments in Texas, Florida, Maryland and others have had to deal with cases of ransomware infections.

It initially started out as an annoyance: you click on a link and ads popped up on your computer screen. Then it progressed to fake anti-virus scams that installed nag screens on your computer and tried to force you to pay to remove the nag screen.

Crypto Ransomware is a new form of virus attack that encrypts files, making them inaccessible, until money (a ransom) is paid to the people responsible for locking or encrypting the files.

Big picture? Think of your QuickBooks database, Excel spreadsheets that contain vital business data, the PowerPoint presentations that took countless hours to create, and on a more personal note, the pictures and videos you’ve painstakingly collected over the years. All gone, unless you pay a ransom to the cyber criminals.