Do you use Gmail? If you do, you might have noticed a new addition to…

Encryption; why it should matter to you

Springtime for us means it’s time for none another than…spring cleaning! And if there is…

How to spring clean your PC!

Remember that time that you, channeling your inner diva, began to belt it out on…

The dangers of public Wi-Fi

Chalk it up to the fact that homo sapiens have always had to find new…

Curiosity killed the computer

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that “adware” and “annoying” both start with the letter A, because…

Adware Goes Rogue

We have written a lot about ransomware in all different forms and incarnations here on…

Ransomware, Ransomware , Everywhere

We’re betting you love your smartphone. It’s okay if you do, because you’re in good…

The Banking Trojan in Your Pocket (or, Why Your Smartphone is Way Less Secure Than you Think it is)

Where were you in 2012? If you were on LinkedIn back then, there’s a good…

Have you Been Pwned in the LinkedIn Data Dump? Here is how to Tell!

Remember how your crazy old Aunt Sally stashed all her money in between mattresses because…

Lessons from the SWIFT Fiasco; Could you be Banking Safer ?

June is upon us and with it comes some of life’s sweet little pleasures –…

The Mega Hacks Cometh!

Invariably, if you use the internet a lot, you probably hear the term “The cloud”…

Are You a Closet-Cloud-Confusee? Understanding The Cloud and What it Means for Your Security

So if you remember, about two weeks ago we told you about a huge string…

Mark Zuckerberg Gets a Lesson in Password Safety

Boom! Whizz! Bang! Typically, when you think of the Fourth of July, you think about…

The How to Liberate  Your Device From Intruders Guide for the Fourth of July

Wondering what your friend or co-worker is doing, staring at his or her phone, wandering…

Go, Pokemon Go! The Latest Craze that Could Fill your Device with Malware

So not only is Pokemon go the biggest craze ever (seemingly anyway), it also seems…

Privacy in the Age of Pokemon Go!

We are well into the summer and for a whole lot of people that means…

Sure, it's Not Your Fault; But They Got Your CC Info Anyway

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8 Essential Back-to-School Cyber Security Tips for a Rockin&#039; (and secure) School Year

Happy National Online Learning Day! Wait, is that even a thing? Well, it is and…

Happy Online Learning Day! (Yup, it's Really a Thing!)

Here at Reason Software, we are excited to announce the release of Unchecky v1.0. This…

Unchecky v1.0 is Here! Interview with Michael Maltsev

Attention any and all persons weighing 400 pounds or more — Donald Trump thinks you…

Is Cyber Security Worth a Spotlight at the Debates?

Gather ‘round and we’ll tell you a tale (okay, a few tales) of mystery, murder,…

Creepy Tales from the Internet of Things Crypt

As morning hits around the globe, the world is waking up to find out that…

Lessons Learned From the Election Shocker; Don't Let Hacks Take You by Surprise

For better or for worse, the biggest shopping season of the year has arrived. Now…

The Ultimate How to Not Get Hacked While Shopping Online Guide

Oh, Thanksgiving Day. You probably get a warm and fuzzy feeling even before the sugar…

The (Rotten) Gift that Keeps on Giving

As if worrying that your Android might suddenly explode wasn’t enough to worry about. Researchers…

The Gooligan Android Breach; What you Need to Know

“Um, honey, I think we have a problem. The computer is telling me that all…

Vulnerability of the year: Ransomware

2016 has come and gone and now we can look back at the year that…

A is for Apple, B is for BitCoin; The Most Noteworthy Data Breaches of 2016

It’s been a full fifteen minutes since you last checked your Facebook account (oh, the…

Fake News Flash; Think Before you Share!

Mobile devices have come a long way. We mean a reeeallly long way. In but…

Simple Tips to Spotting Evil Apps

How does the idea of a smart city sound to you? The term might conjure…

The Hidden Dangers in Smart Cities + 5 Bonus Tips to Secure Your IoT Devices

You know the only saying “Nothing is certain but death and taxes”? Seems pretty clear…

5 Tricky Tax Season Scams and How to Avoid Them

When was the last time you went to your bank? If it feels like you’re…

5 Major FinTech Security Concerns You Need to Know About Before You Bank

In honor of Mother’s Day, we thought it would be fitting to take a look…

The amazing mothers of tech

By now, WannaCry is a household name. The ransomware that shocked the world on May…

WannaCry No More? You Better Start Patching

When is adware not just adware? When it’s also malware, of course! Fireball, a new…

Fireball & the explosive malware heard around the world

Imagine this scene: You’re sitting at home one night, happily watching House of Cards on…

Attacks to critical Infrastructures: the next cyber front to worry about

“We pride ourselves on being a leader in managing and protecting data….We also are focused…

Think Your ID was Exposed in the Equifax Breach? Here&#039;s What to do About it

This post has been updated to reflect the current BitCoin to UD Dollar exchange rate,…

Everything You Need to Know About Cryptocurrency

In a recent post, we discussed the basics of cryptocurrency — what it is, how…

The Role of Cryptocurrency In Cyber Crime

Remember the Petya/NotPetya ransomware outbreak from back in June? That was the ransomware that was…

Bad Rabbit: The New Ransomware With Some Famous Cousins

“It’s the most hackable time of the year.”  Oh wait, that’s not how the song…

How To Steer Clear of Cyber Monday Scams

As the holidays draw closer, chances are you’re busy making your gift list and checking…

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Another day, another oddly named malware attack. Last week, researchers from Kaspersky disclosed that they…

ZooPark and Watering Hole Attacks

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Oh, the irony; phishers are using GDPR to scam you

Which is worse: getting hit with crypto mining malware or falling prey to ransomware? with…

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You may not have known, but September 15th is National Online Learning Day. Nowadays, it…

Watch out for online learning scams!

Veux-tu Virobot? For the non-francophones among us, what we’re asking is if you’ve heard about…

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January 28th is International Data Privacy Day. If you’re wondering why data privacy needs its…

It's Data Privacy Day: What does your camera know about you?

Today, cameras are everywhere — on our phones, our Alexas, baby monitors, desktops, laptops, home…

Webcam hacking; taking back what’s yours

In spring 2018, a powerful banking Trojan named BackSwap surfaced, targeting online banking users in…

Browser-based threats; Don’t worry, we’ve got your back

Another day, another major hack. This time around, India-based outsourcing giant Wipro was hit with…

To Scan or Not to Scan; The Proactive Way to Protect Your PC

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Reason is excited to launch Reason for Business, a powerful endpoint security protection solution for…

We Invite You to Join Reason for Business Beta

Cybersecurity breaches only make the headlines when they involve large entities like banks or tech…

Think SMBs Fall Under the Radar as Targets for Cyber Threats? Think Again.

The threat landscape is undeniably becoming more challenging and more menacing every day. It seems…

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6 tips for celebrating National Online Learning Day and keeping your data safe! Magnifying the…

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Threat Analysis Report: Save Yourself Malware

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Threat Intelligence; A Unifying Force of the Future.

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All Tricks and No Treats

Looking for another reason to put on your party hat? Well, we’ve got one: International…

International Internet Day: A Reminder about Security Online.

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How does an antivirus detect malware?

Antivirus programs were initially created to distinguish and expel PC infections. Be that as it…

What is antivirus software and how can it protect you?

Get 70% Off Reason Cybersecurity on Black Friday and Keep Your Business out of the…

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Can Antivirus Programs Stop Hackers?

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How to Keep Your Business Safe on Cyber Monday

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Which Antivirus is Best for Window 10?

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Unwanted Software Blockers: Why Small Businesses Need Them

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If you perform a Google search to find out which antivirus is good, the search…

Which antivirus is good?

We hear a lot about the importance of having antivirus software on our computers, but…

How Does Antivirus Software Work?

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Can antivirus detect malware?

So you’ve finally decided on the antivirus (AV) software you want to install and are…

Will antivirus software remove existing viruses?

If Windows is your computer operating system, you’re in good company; according to statista.com, Windows…

Which is the best antivirus for Windows?

The best protection against viruses and malware is reliable, up-to-date, antivirus software. Fortunately, there are…

Which antivirus should I use?

“Reaper”, the first antivirus software, was created in response to “Creeper” the first computer virus,…

Are antivirus programs worth it?

If you’re alarmed by all the news reports about malware attacks and the damage they…

Learning about antivirus programs and how antivirus programs protect your computer is a good first…

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What antivirus software comes with Windows 10?

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Is an antivirus necessary?

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Why is antivirus software important?

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Which antivirus is better?

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why antivirus is needed?

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How do you know what antivirus to use?

Hackers are always looking for security holes so that they can install malware on your…

Which Antivirus is Best for Laptops?

Windows 10 was first launched in 2015, but it wasn’t until January 2018 that it…

Which Antivirus is Best for Windows 7

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Can Antivirus Remove Virus?

According to a recent report from statista.com, an online statistics portal, 74% of Americans own…

Which antivirus is best for a Windows 10 laptop?

To combat the continuously evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats, antivirus software has been changing and…

How Antivirus Software Works

The alarming proliferation of malware and cyber attacks, reported almost daily in the news, has…

What antivirus do I need?

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Cybercrime is on the rise; it is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and menacing. From private individuals,…

Which antivirus should I buy?

Cybercrime is a global phenomenon and India has been just as affected by it as…

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Pretty much anyone who uses the Internet today has heard of computer viruses and malware…

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7 Cybersecurity Beauty Hacks You Need to Know!

Chalk it up to the fact that homo sapiens have always had to find new ways of adapting to survive, we humans are curious, perhaps even nosy, creatures. The burning “need to know” is what powers innovation and propels discovery (because, ya know, circle-shaped wheels move a whole lot better than square-shaped ones do) and it’s what keeps us following the Kardashian’s Twitter posts, no matter how ridiculous they are.  
And guess what? Hackers know about this odd facet of human nature too, and they are just tickled pink to use this vulnerability against you. In fact, the innate “need to know” is one of the most potent factors compromising security and privacy.  
  
Accordingly, last week Google, The University of Michigan and The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign [released a study](http://www.eteknix.com/how-many-idiots-will-plug-random-usb-drives-into-their-computer/) in which they distributed 297 USB sticks all around the Illinois University campus in random places. The goal of the study was to see how many people would actually pick up and plug in the sticks even though doing so is clearly not a smart idea. Think back to when you were a kid – You know your mom would have killed you if you ever put a candy that you found just lying on the sidewalk in your mouth. The same thing here – Plugging in a device you found just lying around can spell disaster.  
  
**Curiosity killed the computer** just how bad of an idea is it to plug in a random USB stick that you happen to find? Think about it this way – When you plug in a USB, external hard drive or basically any device into your computer, you end up potentially subjecting your PC to whatever is on the external device. So that could be pictures from all your family vacations from 2010-2016, inventory spreadsheets from your boss from the past two quarters or whatever malware or spyware a sneaky hacker put onto the stick, just hoping, more like _knowing,_ you would open up.  
So how did the experiment go?  
  
Surprise surprise, in the end, 48% of the distributed USBs were plugged in, and generally within 6 minutes of being dropped off.  Of the opened sticks, only 16 % of finders used any sort of virus scanner and 68% took no precautions at all. The study also found that again, 68% said they only opened the stick to locate the owner, proving that the road to total PC wipeout is paved with good intentions.  
  
In truth, this is better than the results of a study commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security in 2011 in which 60 % of randomly distributed drives were plugged into office computers. And if there was an official-looking logo on the drive, a scary 90% of drives were plugged in.  
  
Some researchers are quick to point out that the idea of using random USBs to distribute malware is typically employed as part of a targeted attack on corporations and wouldn’t generally be the vector of choice for untargeted attacks. Still and all it’s a bad idea to take the risk – and if that burning need to know is just too powerful, take precautions before you plug by uploading the file to [VirusTotal](https://www.virustotal.com) which will alert you to any hiding malware and install an anti-virus software like [RAV Endpoint Protection](https://reasonlabs.com/platform/products/endpoint-protection) which will catch any lingering malware that might be on your PC after you upload whatever is on the stick.  
  
**But is it really worth it?**  
Okay, it’s probably not about the price, because for the price of skipping your next two cafe lattes at Starbucks you could get a new drive. What’s driving you here is your own nosy nature.  So now would be a great time to exercise your self restraint muscles and follow the old axiom of “When in doubt, throw it out”. If you don’t, you might just have a whole computer that’s worthy of being trashed.

#Computer Viruses

Curiosity killed the computer

The dangers of public Wi-Fi

How to spring clean your PC!