Afraid of the growing threats online? As you should be. But we’re here to show you what kinds of malware are out there and what you can do to keep them at bay.
Malware comes from the term malicious software. It’s software designed to attack and exploit devices and networks to the advantage of the hacker who made it.
Malware can be transmitted in different ways. Most commonly this happens via infected USB drives, downloadable files or malicious websites. Depending on the type and ultimate goal, the consequences of a malware attack can range from negligible to catastrophic.
A virus is typically spread via infected files, websites or links. It’s one of the oldest malware types and one of the most difficult to get rid of. That’s because, once activated, it replicates itself - hence the name.
It can perform different kinds of attacks, depending on what the creator wants to achieve. The main characteristic of a virus is that it really doesn’t show itself until you activate the host. So that’s a scary thought for sure.
Sometimes an ad blocker isn’t enough to fight off unwanted ads. And some of them can, unfortunately, be malicious. They may redirect you to infected sites or prompt downloads of risky files. Even just opening a malicious site can lead to data theft.
So, definitely be careful when clicking around. Even if an ad seems completely legitimate, you can never be too sure.
Through ransomware, cybercriminals gain access to a user’s data and use it to extort them for money. Basically, the user is threatened with data deletion or even exposure if a ransom isn’t paid by a specific deadline.
This is a particularly nerve-wracking type of malware. If it targets an individual, it preys upon their sense of anxiety, fear, guilt and even shame. If it targets a business (which is a lot more common), it preys upon not only that business’s profit but also every single one of their customers and their data.
This type of malware disguises itself very well as a legitimate-looking program. Once you download it, hackers can get full access and control of your device, data and network. They can even be hidden in games, apps and attachments. They cannot self-replicate, though, so we guess that’s… good news?
Worms can replicate, just like viruses, but you don’t need to actually activate the infected program for them to get going. They can be used for various purposes, ranging from data deletion to file encryption to support a ransomware attack.
Spyware refers to malicious software that stays hidden on your computer and monitors your activity. The best-known type is keyloggers. This can be used to steal sensitive data like passwords and banking information.
Rootkits are among the most dangerous types of malware. They allow administrative access and full control of a device, which lets hackers continue hijacking all your data and monitoring your activity without your knowledge.
Botnets are networks made up of bots - computers that cybercriminals have infected with malicious software. Bots and botnets give hackers remote access to users’ devices and allow them to spy on your camera, take screenshots, memorize passwords and launch Distributed Denial of Service attacks. This one truly makes your hair stand on end.
You know the old adage - better safe than sorry. And trust us, malware attacks are such a pain in the you-know-what that you really don’t want to be sorry.
Luckily, there are simple solutions that can shield you from most digital threats these days. What you want to be looking at is a solid antivirus program. Well, technically, you need an antimalware program, but since the latter evolved from the former, we still mostly refer to them as antivirus software.
The majority of antimalware programs these days don’t just shield you from potential risks online, but include additional features as well. For example, some Bitdefender antivirus packages also include parental control and a VPN. And Bitdefender is not just for PCs either - it offers protection for your beloved iPhone or Android as well. You can throw in a password manager in there too, for an additional layer of security.
If you aren’t too concerned about all these various threats or feel like you don’t need extra security, you can at least take a step to protect your information from being exposed to lurking cybercriminals as you’re browsing. This can be done through a good VPN like Surfshark, which hides your identity in the digital space and prevents your data from being tracked.
Choosing the right protective software is especially important if you have children with access to the Internet, since they’re unfortunately even more vulnerable to malicious attacks. If you aren’t sure what the right kind of antimalware program is right for you, you can reach out to us and we’ll be happy to help keep your entire household or office digitally secure.
The truth is that there’s no way to be 100% protected in the online world. Hackers are constantly coming up with new ways to infiltrate our devices. But malware-battling software evolves along with them and there’s still plenty you can do to keep risks away. Stay safe!
Windows 11 has brought some bad reviews for its inability to change the taskbar location to the screen. Luckily we can still hide it if needed.
In order to hide the taskbar from the screen follow these simple instructions:
‘The installer encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2324.’
Error CausesError CausesError Code 38 is a device driver error that users encounter on any Windows 2000 operating system and its following versions.
It occurs when the peripheral device that you connect to your PC cannot be accessed due to an inability of the Windows system to acknowledge the driver as a previous record of the driver being loaded is found in its memory.
It is a common error that users come across and appears on your PC with the following message:
“Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware because a previous instance of the device driver is still in memory. (Code 38)”
Error CausesError Code 38 is prompted when incomplete program files are left in the Windows system which damage or corrupt its files. There are various factors that contribute to this, some of which are:
The above triggers are very likely to create incomplete files within the Windows registry thereby leading to its damage and corruption.
This is especially true in the case of your PC when it has recovered from viruses when using anti-virus software. The anti-virus in its effort to remove the virus also could remove the files which contain them thereby increasing the risk of the error code.
These damaged files can severely impact the health of your PC and are imperative to fix it immediately to prevent further problems.
Although this error code may pose serious problems for your PC, thankfully, it is very similar to other PC driver errors and thus is an easy one to get rid of. Here are various methods that you can use to get your PC running smoothly again.
If restarting your PC does not help, you will have to find the exact nature of the problem by running the troubleshooting wizard for the device and then address the problem accordingly. To do this, proceed with the following steps:
After following the directions of the Troubleshooting wizard, make sure to restart your PC for the changes to take effect. Now check if your device is still causing problems.
If the error persists, you can use system restore to eliminate the problem. Here is how to do so:
By restoring the system via a last saved system checkpoint, you can obtain undamaged Windows system files that can help resolve the error code.
If using system restore does not work either, you may have to resort to manually uninstalling and then reinstalling the device driver causing the problem.
This would be necessary since the remaining incomplete files due to a partial removal or installation of programs are responsible for the error code. By uninstalling and reinstalling the device driver program, it would lead to the completion of the files.
You can do this by firstly logging in as Administrator and opening Device Manager. Select the device that is causing the problem and double click it; make sure that the peripheral is connected properly to the PC.
Upon opening, click on the ‘Driver’ tab and then select ‘Update Driver’. Make sure to refer to the system documentation that you received with your PC or computer to check for the motherboard details and driver specifics.
Manually uninstalling and reinstalling the driver will do the trick; however, it may be time-consuming especially when you would have to resort to your hardware user manual.
Using a program such as DriverFIX can save you a lot of time and frustration in having your device to work properly on your computer.
DriverFIX, with its user-friendly approach to help you fix your PC issues, comes with an integrated database that detects which drivers you need to reconfigure within just a few seconds and downloads it automatically.
It further ensures that your drivers are installed in their entirety leaving no room for any incomplete files to remain that create Error Code 38, or any other driver-related errors for that matter.
It also has the added advantage of being able to backup and restores your files should there be the slightest possibility of system file damage. DriverFIX is the answer to fixing your PC error codes accurately and quickly.
Click here to download DriverFIX to fix Error Code 38 quickly and effectively!
After Plex, DoorDash, and LastPass, Samsung has also confirmed that they also have experienced a data breach and that some customer data has been stolen.
On Friday, September 2nd Samsung announced that an unauthorized third party gained access to some of the company's U.S. systems in late July and that Samsung learned in August that some personal information was affected. It was also stated that affected information is: names, contact information, demographics, dates of birth, and product registration information. Also so far it was said that no Social Security numbers nor credit card number information have been compromised.
For now, Samsung is sending an email directly to anyone that has been affected by this data breach, however, they did not state what service or product has experienced this breach, we just know that it has happened at Samsung Electronics America which sells everything, from smartphones to debit cards. Also keep an eye on your inbox if you are a Samsung user since it took them a whole month in order to go public with this information and there is no justification for this, if it was reported on time people could change their information and take other steps.
Error Causes