Watch this adorable puppy try to talk to his owners…and get hacked.
The videos make their rounds through social media and email all of the time. Thousands of people stop what they are doing to see a husky say “I love you” or to watch a cat chase a laser pointer. Cute animal videos are certainly some of the top ones to go viral. We all like to watch them from time to time even if we all aren’t willing to admit it.
The problem is, these days, hackers are more sophisticated than ever in their methods of infiltrating computers, and even a cute video of a smiling puppy could mean bad news for you. That’s because one of the newer threats can be embedded in a YouTube video and can be downloaded to a computer without the viewer ever even knowing it.
You Can Have Protection and Still Get Attacked
Here’s a big mistake may people make: they think that having antivirus software is enough and they believe if they are smart enough to keep the software updated, they will never have to worry. That’s simply not the truth and right now, with this video based virus, antivirus software probably won’t work. According to Digital Trends, Microsoft, Google, and manufacturers of antivirus software as computer support companies are working diligently to resolve the problem. However, no resolution is available yet, and that means your computer could be in danger.
How It Works
This type of virus is not made by low-level or “amateur” hackers because it simply costs too much money. It uses something called a network injection appliance, which costs almost a million dollars. That sum is apparently worth it to sophisticated hackers who pay it so that they can access thousands of home and business computers where they can find and use financial information as well as other sensitive data.
Essentially, this appliance makes it possible to actually place malicious virus code within something like a cute video of a puppy. The video has to be unencrypted, and then it can be placed on websites like YouTube. When you watch it, the code, which you don’t see, goes into action. Then, you have a virus on the computer and you didn’t do a thing to create the problem.
Once the hacker has access to your system, they will be able to see any unencrypted files, such as documents, pictures, financial statements, passwords, and much more. Only computer help companies will be able to solve the problem.
What You Can Do
Of course, the first thing you should do is ensure you have good antivirus software on your system. To confirm that it is working properly, keep it updated and have it set to auto scan on a regular basis. Additionally, it is smart to encrypt any sensitive files you have on your system. If you need help encrypting files, a professional computer repair or support company will be able to assist you.
You don’t have to stop watching those cute puppy videos, but if your system is acting strange, you will need computer help. You may not know if your system has been hacked, but if you have concerns or you need assistance with any issue, contact 908-428-9558 today.
