MEDINA, Ohio, April 9 - Thirtyseven4, LLC, a leading provider of Windows, Mac and Android antivirus solutions, cautioned today of increased phishing risks due to the OpenSSL vulnerability (Heartbleed) announcement. Cybercriminals utilize phishing techniques to compromise confidential data such as usernames, passwords and credit card information. Phishing emails mislead users to (1) click embedded links that direct them to spoofed websites where they are prompted to login to their accounts or (2) direct users to webpages that may be injected with malicious code.
The Heartbleed bug provide a serious threat to the public because it provides hackers with the ability to steal large amounts of personal data from secured servers, such as those used by social networking sites, banking institutions, healthcare provider services, online retailers, etc.
"Given the severity and broad scope of the Heartbleed bug, in combination with the influx of email warnings by corporations suggesting immediate password resets as well as the panic-postings that are currently flooding the Internet: we can expect virus writers and hackers to capitalize on this golden ticket opportunity. Users are going to be expecting and waiting on these emails from their service providers and cybercriminals know that," said Steven Sundermeier, Owner of Thirtyseven4, LLC. "Users should reset passwords as recommended, but they must guard against panic that causes safe computing common sense to fly out the window," concluded Sundermeier.
Thirtyseven4 suggests four simple steps to avoid falling victim to a possible Heartbleed geared phishing attack:
1. If it is known that a noted corporation has fixed the flaw, visit the official website directly to login and change your personal account information.
2. When visiting or being redirected to unknown websites, Never click ‘Ok’, ’Yes’, or similar if a message box appears seeking or giving permission to install some component, object or update.
3. Make sure that antivirus software is installed and that its’ virus database files are up-to-date
4. Maintain regular operating system updates
Evaluation licenses of Thirtyseven4 Antivirus are available at: http://thirtyseven4.com/downloads.html. For more information contact Thirtyseven4 at 877-374-7581.
About Thirtyseven4: Born out of a desire to better connect antivirus protection solutions with premium customer support and service, Thirtyseven4, LLC seeks to protect schools, businesses, governmental agencies and home‐users with the best antivirus products available. Thirtyseven4 is an American company built on honesty, trust and value for the customer. http://www.thirtyseven4.com. |