AVG protects your data as well as your money

The screen also asks for money. To get the key to unencrypt your files, you must pay, usually in some form Install Avg With License Number activation of untraceable currency avg.com/activation, such as bitcoin. In most cases, there’s a firm deadline when payment must be made avg.com/retail. If you miss it, the fees shoot up. At some point, your files www.avg.com/activate are permanently encrypted www.avg.com/activation .

Welcome to the world of ransomware.

While this form of malware can slip into devices in any number of ways, phishing is probably the most common vehicle Install Avg With License Number activation.  avg.com/retail Basically, bad guys send innocent-looking emails that ask recipients to click on a link or download an attachment. (Phishing is also used to ask for money directly. A tiny piece avg.com/activation of software infects the machine and goes about encrypting files before demanding www.avg.com/activate cash. Sometimes www.avg.com/activation  the message pops up automatically. Sometimes there’s a time delay or a switch that lets hackers turn it on when it’s convenient to them.

And sometimes attacks are big and bold. Two assaults on major hospitals in the US, for instance, used multipronged ransomware infiltration to shutdown key networks and records. But experts largely agree that  www.avg.com/activate most attacks are on individuals. Mass emailing allows criminals to take advantage avg.com/retail of long-tail effects and the fact that many people would rather Install Avg With License Number activation just pay a few hundred (or thousand) www.avg.com/activation  dollars to have their data – which many consider their life avg.com/activation – returned to them rather than fight back through various law enforcement channels.

Data hostage taking is on the rise

Given the efficacy of ransomware, the number of  www.avg.com/activation attacks is set to grow. In its annual Threat Landscape report, published in January 2016, the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) characterizes 2015 as “the year of ransomware”. According to the study, the number of reported incidences nearly doubled in 2015 compared to 2014, with aggressive phishing campaigns Install Avg With License Number activation a www.avg.com/activate hallmark of  avg.com/retail many attacks avg.com/activation. Targets tended to be in North America and Western Europe, as residents are perceived to have the money to pay.

ENISA also notes that 2015 was a year www.avg.com/activate of innovation in ransomware development and deployment. The number of new ransomware types quadrupled in the first half of the year alone. Criminals have set up Install Avg With License Number activationservice avg.com/activation centers avg.com/retail, allowing the non-technical to buy crimeware-as-a-service, further expanding www.avg.com/activation  the reach of ransomware. And stealthier delivery methods are still being developed.

Do I know you? Did I ask for this?

Phishing is still the most common delivery method. Which is convenient, in a way, as there are some practical steps you can take Install Avg With License Number activation to avoid getting scammed. Probably the most important is to maintain an online “stranger danger” mindset. www.avg.com/activation  If an email looks even the slightest bit suspicious, don’t open it. If it’s from someone you avg.com/retail don’t know, don’t open it. If it www.avg.com/activate says you’ve won avg.com/activation the lottery, are being watched by some security agency, asks about an order (you did not make), or promises rewards in some other way, don’t open it. (Similar phishing attacks also appear on Facebook.)

For emails you’ve opened, if they include links or attachments you weren’t expecting or didn’t ask for, don’t click or download www.avg.com/activate. If you Install Avg With License Number activation feel www.avg.com/activation  that you must do either, reply to the sender (if you know them), and ask if they did indeed send avg.com/retail you something. If you do not know the sender – delete the email.

And of course, you should build a fortress around your device. This is where AVG can help. We provide antivirus, link scanners, attachment and download avg.com/retail checkers, enhanced firewalls, spam blockers avg.com/activation, and Install Avg With License Number activationfile www.avg.com/activation  www.avg.com/activate encryption to help keep your photos, videos, files, contacts, and devices safer. If you haven’t done so already, give us a try on your PC or Android phone.

Phishing is still the most common delivery method. Which is convenient, in a way, as there are some practical steps you can take to avoid getting scammed. Probably the most important is to maintain an online www.avg.com/activate “stranger danger” mindset. If an email looks even the slightest bit suspicious, don’t open it. If it’s Install Avg With License Number activationfrom www.avg.com/activation  someone avg.com/retail you don’t know, don’t open it. If it says you’ve won the lottery, are being watched by some security agency, asks about an order avg.com/activation (you did not make), or promises www.avg.com/activate rewards in some other way, don’t open it. (Similar phishing attacks also appear on Facebook.)

For emails you’ve www.avg.com/activate opened, if they include links or attachments you weren’t expecting or didn’t ask for, don’t click or download Install Avg With License Number activation. If you feel that you must do either, reply to the sender (if you know them), and ask if they did www.avg.com/activation  indeed send you something avg.com/retail. If you do not know the sender – delete the email avg.com/activation.