What they are:

A collection of software robots, or

'bots', that creates an army of infected
computers (known as ‘zombies') that are
remotely controlled by the originator. Yours
may be one of them and you may not
even know it.
What they can do:

 Send spam emails with viruses

attached.
 Spread all types of malware.
 Can use your computer as part of a
denial of service attack against other
systems.
 A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack — or
DDoS attack — is when a malicious user gets a network
of zombie computers to sabotage a specific website or
server. The attack happens when the malicious user
tells all the zombie computers to contact a specific
website or server over and over again. That increase in
the volume of traffic overloads the website or server
causing it to be slow for legitimate users, sometimes to
the point that the website or server shuts down
completely.
What it can do:

The most common and obvious type of DDoS

attack occurs when an attacker “floods” a network
with useless information. When you type a URL into
your browser, you are sending a request to that site's
computer server to view the page. The server can
only process a certain number of requests at once. If
an attacker overloads the server with requests, it
can't process yours. The flood of incoming messages
to the target system essentially forces it to shut down,
thereby denying access to legitimate users.
What you can do:
There are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood
that an attacker will use your computer to attack other
computers:

 Install and maintain anti-virus software.

 Install a firewall, and configure it to restrict traffic coming into
and leaving your computer.
 Follow good security practices when it comes to maintaining
your contact or email lists. Applying email filters may help
you manage unwanted emails, by automatically processing
incoming messages based on certain criteria that you set.
What you can do:
There are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood
that an attacker will use your computer to attack other
computers:

 Be cautious if you notice that your Internet connection is

unusually slow or you can't access certain sites (and that
your Internet connection is not down).
 Avoid opening email attachments, especially if they are
from people you don't know.
 If you believe you are a victim of a DDoS attack, contact
your Internet Service Provider, as they will be able to help
mitigate.
 Hacking is a term used to describe
actions taken by someone to gain
unauthorized access to a computer.
The availability of information online on
the tools, techniques, and malware
makes it easier for even non-technical
people to undertake malicious
activities.
What it is:
The process by which cyber criminals gain access to your
computer.

What it can do:

 Find weaknesses (or pre-existing bugs) in your security

settings and exploit them in order to access your
information.
 Install a Trojan horse, providing a back door for hackers to
enter and search for your information.
 Malware is one of the
more common ways to
infiltrate or damage your
computer.
 What it is:

Malicious software that infects your computer,

such as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware,
and adware.
What it can do:

• Intimidate you with sharewares, which is usually a pop-

up message that tells you your computer has a security
problem or other false information.
• Reformat the hard drive of your computer causing you
to lose all your information.
What it can do:
• Alter or delete files.
• Steal sensitive information.
• Send emails on your behalf.
• Take control of your computer and all the
software running on it.
 a program that runs in the
background without you knowing it
(thus called “spy”). It has the ability to
monitor what you are currently doing
and typing through keylogging.
What it is:

Software that collects personal

information about you without you
knowing. They often come in the form of a
‘free' download and are installed
automatically with or without your consent.
These are difficult to remove and can
infect your computer with viruses.
What it can do:

• Collect information about you without you

knowing about it and give it to third parties.
• Send your usernames, passwords, surfing habits, list
of applications you've downloaded, settings, and
even the version of your operating system to third
parties.
• Change the way your computer runs without your
knowledge.
 a program designed to send you
advertisements, mostly as pop-ups.

What it can do:

Take you to unwanted sites or inundate

you with uncontrollable pop-up ads.
 Most people have heard
of computer viruses, but not
many know exactly what
they are or what they do.
What they are:

Malicious computer programs that are

often sent as an email attachment or a
download with the intent of infecting your
computer, as well as the computers of
everyone in your contact list. Just visiting a
site can start an automatic download of a
virus.
What they can do:

• Send spam.
• Provide criminals with access to your computer
and contact lists.
• Scan and find personal information like
passwords on your computer.
• Hijack your web browser.
• Disable your security settings.
• Display unwanted ads.
What they can do:

When a program is running, the virus

attached to it could infiltrate your hard
drive and also spread to USB keys and
external hard drives. Any attachment you
create using this program and send to
someone else could also infect them with
the virus.
How will you know if your computer is infected?
 A Trojan horse may not be a
term you're familiar with, but
there's a good chance you or
someone you know has been
affected by one.
What it is:

A malicious program that is

disguised as, or embedded within,
legitimate software. It is an
executable file that will install itself
and run automatically once it's
downloaded.
What it can do:
• Delete your files.
• Use your computer to hack other
computers.
• Watch you through your web cam.
• Log your keystrokes (such as a credit card
number you entered in an online
purchase).
• Record usernames, passwords and other
personal information.
 Worms are a
common threat to
computers and the
Internet as a whole.
What they are:

A worm, unlike a virus, goes to work on

its own without attaching itself to files or
programs. It lives in your computer memory,
doesn't damage or alter the hard drive and
propagates by sending itself to other
computers in a network – whether within a
company or the Internet itself.
What they can do:
• Spread to everyone in your contact
list.
• Cause a tremendous amount of
damage by shutting down parts of the
Internet, wreaking havoc on an
internal network and costing
companies enormous amounts of lost
revenue.
 Pharming is a
common type of
online fraud.
 What it is:

A means to point you to a malicious and

illegitimate website by redirecting the legitimate URL.
Even if the URL is entered correctly, it can still be
redirected to a fake website.
What it can do:
• Convince you that the site is real and legitimate by
spoofing or looking almost identical to the actual site
down to the smallest details. You may enter your
personal information and unknowingly give it to
someone with malicious intent.
What it is:

Ransomware is a type of malware that

restricts access to your computer or your files and
displays a message that demands payment in
order for the restriction to be removed. The two
most common means of infection appear to be
phishing emails that contain malicious
attachments and website pop-up advertisements.
What it can do:
There are two common types of ransomware:

• Lockscreen ransomware: displays an image that

prevents you from accessing your computer
• Encryption ransomware: encrypts files on your
system's hard drive and sometimes on shared
network drives, USB drives, external hard drives,
and even some cloud storage drives, preventing
you from opening them
What it can do:
Ransomware will display a notification
stating that your computer or data have
been locked and demanding a payment
be made for you to regain
access. Sometimes the notification states
that authorities have detected illegal
activity on your computer, and that the
payment is a fine to avoid prosecution.
What you can do:
• Do not pay the ransom. These threats
are meant to scare and intimidate you,
and they do not come from a law
enforcement agency. Even if you submit
payment, there is no guarantee that you
will regain access to your system.
What you can do:

• In order to lessen the impact of a

ransomware infection, be sure to
regularly back-up your data with a
removable external storage drive. It's
possible that your files might be
irretrievable; having an up-to-date
backup could be invaluable.
 Spam is one of the more
common methods of both
sending information out
and collecting it from
unsuspecting people.
What it is:

• The mass distribution of unsolicited

messages, advertising or
pornography to addresses which can
be easily found on the Internet
through things like social networking
sites, company websites and
personal blogs.
What it can do:
• Annoy you with unwanted junk mail.
• Create a burden for communications service
providers and businesses to filter electronic
messages.
• Phish for your information by tricking you into
following links or entering details with too-good-
to-be-true offers and promotions.
• Provide a vehicle for malware, scams, fraud
and threats to your privacy.
This technique is often
used in conjunction
with phishing in an
attempt to steal your
information.
What it is:
A website or email address that is
created to look like it comes from a
legitimate source. An email address
may even include your own name, or
the name of someone you know,
making it difficult to discern whether or
not the sender is real.
What it does?
• Spends spam using your email address, or
a variation of your email address, to your
contact list.
• Recreates websites that closely resemble
the authentic site. This could be a
financial institution or other site that
requires login or other personal
information.
 WiFi eavesdropping is
another method used by
cyber criminals to capture
personal information.
What it is:
Virtual “listening in” on information that's
shared over an unsecure (not encrypted) WiFi
network.
What it can do:
• Potentially access your computer with
the right equipment.
• Steal your personal information including
logins and passwords.
KEEP SAFE ONLINE
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