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 WiFi

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

Betcha didn’t know it, but June is Internet Safety Month. You probably missed that section in…

June is Internet Safety Month &#8211; How Safe are Your Kids on Social Media?

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

We’re finally in the home stretch – In just a few days, school starts up…

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&#039;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 &#8211; Don&#039;t Let Hacks Take You by Surprise

WhatsApp is a great way to keep in touch with far off friends and relatives…

Coming to a Smartphone Near You! The Latest Round of WhatsApp Scams

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

The Ultimate &quot;How to Not Get Hacked While Shopping Online&quot;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 &#8211; What you Need to Know

It’s that frosty time of year again, when the days are short and the deals…

16 for 2016 &#8211; Don&#039;t Fall for These Holiday Scams!!

“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 &#8211; 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 &#8211; Think Before you Share!

Who doesn’t love a good fishing trip? Go ahead, picture the scene: it’s just you,…

One Phish, Two Phish, Red Phish&#8230;Spear Phish?

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 &#8211; the explosive malware heard &#8216;Round the World&#8217;

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…

What NOT to buy for the holidays

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

ZooPark and Watering Hole Attacks

So now, May 25th has come and gone. If you live in the EU, you’re…

Oh, the irony &#8211; phishers are using GDPR to scam you

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

Ransomware or crypto mining malware? Rakhni is both!

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…

Virobot: are monster mash-ups the future of ransomware?

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

It&#8217;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 &#8211; 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

  Today is Mother’s Day, the day set aside to honor those special women, who…

The 5 Coolest Mother’s Day Tech Gifts You Can Find (and how to secure them!)

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…

Reason Download Defender- It’s time to defend your downloads.

While spring cleaning may only come around once a year, PC cleaning needs to happen…

Should I Remove It? It’s cleaning time! How to declutter your PC.

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

To learn (online) or not to learn?

Next up on the ‘crazy meter’, and probably the ‘creepy meter’ as well, is the…

What happens when ‘ransomware’ meets ‘crazy’?

Recently, the cryptoblackmail scam, “ScamYourself”, has returned to the market – many usersworldwide have been…

Threat Analysis Report: Save Yourself Malware

The advent of the Internet and Internet-enabled technologies not only ushered in the era of…

Threat Intelligence; A Unifying Force of the Future.

Halloween: Famous SMB Cyber Attacks in Disguise. Halloween normally conjures up images of costumes and…

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.

Before launching into a discussion on how an antivirus detects malware, it’s important to first…

How does an antivirus detect malware?

Start by Installing Reason Cybersecurity – Get 70% Off Today! Think about this for a minute:…

How to Keep Your Business Safe on Cyber Monday.

Hacking has evolved into a billion-dollar growth business, making hackers relentless in their pursuit to…

Can Antivirus Programs Stop Hackers?

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…

Cyber attacks and Black Friday: It only takes one to put you on the red

Windows 10, according to theinquirer.net, is a particularly appealing target for hackers and virus writers…

Which Antivirus is Best for Window 10?

I think we can all agree that pups, the friendly, loyal, man’s-best-friend kind are cute…

Unwanted Software Blockers: Why Small Businesses Need Them.

Hackers increasingly target SMBs. What should businesses expect in 2020?

It’s here, 2020, the start of not just a new year, but a new decade…

Small business growth and guardianship in 2020: staying safe from hackers

The first question people usually ask about antivirus (AV) software, is ‘do I really need…

How do you know what antivirus to use?

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?

While there is no quick way to answer which antivirus is better, there are at…

Which antivirus is better?

If a salesperson at a clothing store asked you if you needed any help and…

Browser or big brother? ReasonLab’s secure browsing premium feature protects your business

To answer the question, ‘can antivirus software remove viruses’, we should first examine what antivirus…

Can Antivirus Remove Virus?

The term ‘antivirus’ is a bit of a misnomer today, since today’s antivirus software must…

why antivirus is needed?

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

Which antivirus should I use?

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

How antivirus programs protect your computer

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

Which Antivirus is Best for Laptops?

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

Which antivirus is good?

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

Which Antivirus is Best for Windows 7

Today, Windows 10 comes with Windows Defender, a native, comprehensive antivirus solution already integrated into…

What antivirus software comes with Windows 10?

It’s been over 40 years since the Creeper computer virus, made its appearance, and although…

Is an antivirus necessary?

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

Which is the best antivirus for Windows?

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

How Does Antivirus Software Work?

According to cybercrime statistics from cpomagazine.com and websitehostingrating.com respectively, cybercrimes account for trillions of dollars…

Why is antivirus software important?

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

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

How Antivirus Software Works

We hear the terms ‘antivirus’ and ‘antimalware’ bandied about so much it’s easy to understand…

Can antivirus detect malware?

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

What antivirus do I need?

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

Will antivirus software remove existing viruses?

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

Are antivirus programs worth it?

Antivirus, aka anti-virus, aka anti-malware, aka security software, has been around since 1971, and yes,…

What do antivirus do?

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

Which antivirus is best for PCs in India

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

Which antivirus should I buy?

_Veux-tu Virobot?_  
For the non-francophones among us, what we’re asking is if you’ve heard about the latest ransomware variant dubbed Virobot.  

**Multi-tasking Ransomware**  
Discovered by researchers in mid-September, Virobot is one heck of a multi-tasker. Though it’s clearly still under development, Virobot boasts an impressive CV of malicious skills — aside from the typical “execute and encrypt” ransomware capabilities, it logs and steals keystrokes and perhaps even worse, victim computers are enlisted into a spam-churning botnet.  
Another distinguishing factor, Virobot seems to be of French origin, as the ransom note displayed on the victim’s screen is all in French. Nowadays, with most ransomware variants coming out of Russia, this could be a clever red herring but authorities seem to agree that the threat probably is _fabrique-en-France._ Thus far, it has been spotted targeting users in the US via spam emails using MS Outlook.  
Once Virobot gets onto a machine, it scans for certain registry keys which helps it “decide” if this machine should be encrypted or not. Once it decides that it should be encrypted, it generates encryption and decryption keys. When that’s completed, it sends machine-specific data back to the commands and control (C&C) server, which allows it to take control over MS Outlook. With this level of control, it can now enlist the victim machine into its spam-sending botnet, making it an unwitting accomplice in the scheme. For a final touch, it accesses the victim’s address book and sends Virobot-containing spam emails to all the victim’s contacts. Should the email recipient open the attachment, their data will be encrypted and their machine will become part of the botnet.  
The decrypt fee is about $250 in Bitcoins but thankfully, for now, their server seems to be shut down, which means that it’s not spreading any further at the moment. Interestingly, Virobot doesn’t seem to be connected in anyway to previous ransomware variants, although another French-made ransomware variant called [PyLocky](https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-campaign-targets-businesses-with-fake-invoice-message/) began making rounds just a few weeks ago.  

**Blended Threats – A new phenomenon?**  
For all its capabilities, Virobot is just another manifestation of a blended threat; or, a threat that attacks you over here with its arms, over there with its legs, around the corner with a torpedo and across the street with a stink bomb. And all at the same time, mind you, instead of just one quick punch to the gut.  
It sounds bad but it’s really nothing new — we’ve seen similar multi-tasking abilities with [Rakhni](http://blog.reasoncoresecurity.com/2018/07/19/ransomware-or-cryptomining-malware-rakhni-is-both/) ransomware; DDoS and botnet generally use varied methods to infect their victims. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Why rely on just one attack method when you could be using _lots_ of attack methods?  
And while they have always been around, blended threats are becoming more commonplace, simply because they work. They hit machines and networks at various weak points all at once to make a complicated situation even more so. They create a smokescreen of sorts, making you think the threat is just the ransomware or a DDoS, while a greater, more dangerous threat goes unnoticed because you’re too busy dealing with the first threat.  
We know all about blended threats or multi-tasking baddies. Whatever you prefer to call them, it’s crucial to make sure they stay away from your data. And when it comes to ransomware, it’s even more important to keep it from infiltrating because once encryption of files has started, it cannot be undone without the decrypt fee — and your attackers will make sure you pay dearly for it.  
Our ransomware prevention tool keeps attackers from getting what they want — your money and your data. It effectively blocks all kinds of ransomware, multi-taskers and not.  

**How to make sure you’re in the clear from ransomware including Virobot :**

1.  Go to [Reasoncoresecurity.com](https://www.reasoncoresecurity.com)
2.  Download and install Reason Security Premium Protection Package
3.  Update the license
4.  You’re now protected from Virobot and any other ransomware variant that tries to make its way on to your computer. If anything malicious attempts to encrypt your files, with our Ransomware Protection feature, the process is automatically blocked.

So does the future of malware lay in monster mash-ups of baddies like ransomware, Trojans, DDoS, and botnets? It’s safe to assume that attacks will only get bolder, smarter and more capable, likely using more than one way to get what they want. Keep your data secure with a solution that targets these mash-ups with a multi-faceted defense.

![](https://cms.reasonlabs.com/cdn/shutterstock_1511156687-scaled.jpg)

shutterstock_1511156687-scaled.jpg

January 28th is International Data Privacy Day. If you’re wondering why data privacy needs its own awareness day, well hello, good morning and welcome to the 21 Century. Today, technological advances come at breakneck speed. With every new device and development, at some point, the user is asked to fork over a portion of his or her identifying information. At the beginning of our always-connected era, people dutifully filled out their data as they had been prompted to. But eventually, people began to ask “Why?” “Why does my productivity app need to know my birthdate?” and “Why should I allow my guided yoga app to access my contacts?”

**Bleeding data all over the place**

There were no easy or comfortable answers, it turned out. What people began to understand is that the trade-off for our super-connected experience is our privacy. Today, when we take pictures on our smartphones, they contain location data. Many common apps contain keylogging capabilities. We give our apps permission to listen in on our conversations. Our browsers track our every move. And all of this is just a small snippet of what we are putting up for grabs on a daily basis.

It’s no big surprise then that the cameras that surround us are sapping our privacy as well. Cameras, which can peer into every aspect of our lives, are now built into lots of tech and pop up just about everywhere — our phones, Alexas, baby monitors, desktops, laptops, home security systems, gaming systems, smart TVs and a whole host of other IoT devices. And while the capability to take photos and videos is part and parcel of our digital lives, these cameras open us up to a whole lot of potential snooping.

**A sneak-peek into what attackers can see**

Here are some of what people can do with your camera once they have access to it: record and look in on you at any time, take pictures, conduct facial recognition scans and Livestream your camera feed to the internet. Hackers have been known to [infiltrate baby monitors](https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2018/02/21/50000-mi-cam-baby-cams-vulnerable-to-simple-spy-attacks/) to take pictures of sleeping infants and there have been incidents wherein attackers uploaded pictures of people in compromising situations to the internet. In fact, The Dark Web has entire marketplaces dedicated to buying and selling ill-gotten webcam streams.

![](https://cms.reasonlabs.com/cdn/bigstock-Hacking-And-Phishing-Concept-263466271-e1583052588582.jpg)

Moreover, there have been reports of employers spying on their employees and schools spying on their students via laptop webcams. Some of the apps we use on a daily basis can access your camera without you knowing it. While some apps need this access to do their job (it’s kind of hard to use Instagram without allowing it to access your camera), a whole lot of them don’t really need it. And while this doesn’t necessarily mean that their intentions are less than innocent, you should think twice before granting that level of permission.  

**Preserving privacy with Reason Webcam Protection**

In this post-Snowden world, we’ve got to accept the fact that if we’re not actively doing something to preserve what’s left of our privacy, we are inherently compromising it. That’s why we have developed a comprehensive webcam privacy solution. Far more than just a piece of duct tape or a little plastic slide-y window, Reason’s webcam protection feature not only prevents anyone from recording you, it alerts you to any malicious activity taking place on your webcam. It’s easy to deploy and is effective against the full scope of webcam infiltration attacks.

Getting set up is simple. Just follow these steps:

1.  Go to [reasonsecurity.com](https://www.reasonsecurity.com)
2.  Click on “Camera Protection”.
3.  Upgrade to Reason Premium. If you already have a Reason Premium license, click the “I already have a license” link.
4.  Insert the activation code in the “License Settings” screen, by clicking the settings icon on the top right and navigation to the license section. The lock icon will disappear from the Camera Protection feature icon.
5.  Now you can choose to:

*   Monitor all unknown apps, while allowing access to trusted apps only.

*   Block all webcam access and be informed each time access is requested.

*   Monitor all access attempts – any app, trusted to not, will need permission to access your camera.

*   Allow access to all requests – but be informed each time your camera is in use.

Whichever level of protection you choose, you can be sure that you’ll have what you need to ensure attackers keep out of your webcams.

**Taking back what’s yours**

Today, there are just so many threats to privacy but that doesn’t mean that you’re powerless to stop them. International Data Privacy Day should remind us all that we have the power to take back what’s rightfully ours. With Reason’s webcam protection, you can ensure that you’re never targeted via your camera — and that’s something to smile and say “cheese” about.

Today, there are just so many threats to privacy but that doesn’t mean that you’re powerless to stop them. International Data Privacy Day should remind us all that we have the power to take back what’s rightfully ours. With Reason’s webcam protection, you can ensure that you’re never targeted via your camera — and that’s something to smile and say “cheese” about.

#Privacy invasion

Virobot: are monster mash-ups the future of ransomware?

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

Webcam hacking – taking back what’s yours

Browser-based threats; don’t Worry, we’ve got your back

#Privacy invasion

Virobot: are monster mash-ups the future of ransomware?

It&#8217;s Data Privacy Day: What does your camera know about you?

Webcam hacking &#8211; taking back what’s yours

Browser-based threats; don’t Worry, we’ve got your back

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

Webcam hacking – taking back what’s yours