M2 Computing are warning people to stay vigilant when opening emails and attachments. Hackers have developed new and increasingly clever ways of breaching security measures by disguising themselves as familiar contacts. These are particularly prevalent in accounting and purchasing departments, where an attachment can look like a recent order confirmation or an expected invoice, when in fact it contains a lethal virus.

Unexpected and random pop-ups should be also avoided. Whilst some pop-ups are perfectly harmless, others come armed with malicious code. Once clicked upon, these bugs can begin monitoring keystrokes to ascertain vital personal information such as log in details, passwords and pin numbers. Some pop-ups actually look like a notification from your system that you have downloaded a virus, even with realistic looking logos and messages from your operating system.  These should be avoided at all costs.

To guard against these unwanted bugs, M2 Computing have installed the latest anti-virus and security software on all clients’ systems. These solutions help to prevent malware infections and phishing attacks. They provide protection for web browsing to avoid tampering of transactions and safeguard personal information to defend against identity fraud.

Greg Roffe, Managing Director comments ‘Whilst we make sure all our customers are protected with the latest versions of security software, it is impossible to guard against all malicious activity as new codes are developed every day. We advise our clients to stay vigilant when opening emails, check that they know the sender and be cautious about opening attachments or clicking on pop-ups.’

For further information about how to avoid malware infections and phishing attacks, please get in touch with us on 01293 871971.