How to keep your devices and online information safe
Beware - mind the malware
Malware can cause a whole lot of trouble if it finds its way onto your device. So it’s worth knowing how to tell if it’s lurking around — and how to put a stop to it doing damage.
What is malware and what harm can it do?
Malware is short for malicious software. Its aim — to infect, damage or steal data from your device. Criminals can also use it to take control of your device and access your contact details or use your computer network (devices connected to your home broadband connection) to infect other people’s devices too. It’s nasty stuff.
Ransomware is a type of malware that can stop you accessing certain files on your computer. The cyber-criminal who sent you the malware might then contact you asking for payment — usually in some form of cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin. Only then will they claim to unlock your computer or data.
Just because you make the payment, it doesn’t mean you’ll have access again. After all, you can never really trust a criminal. If you decide to pay, you’ll be handing money over to criminal organizations and you might be targeted again one day.
That’s why it’s really important to protect yourself from malware. For information on keeping your devices secure, see how to avoid being scammed.
Signs that your device is infected
It’s running slower than normal
Most malware runs tasks in the background that take up a lot of your device’s processing power. So if things start slowing down, there’s a chance malware’s made it's way onto your device.
It keeps crashing on you
Some malware will corrupt or delete files that are needed for your device to run properly.
Things aren’t working properly
Some viruses will stop parts of your computer (such as your mouse or keyboard) from running properly — or at all.
There’s an influx of annoying pop-ups
Pop-ups can get on your nerves at the best of times. If you notice you’re having to hit ‘X’ on a lot more of them than you would usually, there’s a chance malware’s at work.
How to protect yourself
- Install and use anti-malware software
- One of the best ways to protect yourself from malware is to download anti-malware software.
- Anti-malware software provides an extra layer of security when you download something. You can be set up the software to run automatically so that files are scanned as they are downloaded. You can also set up your anti-malware software to perform scheduled scans of your computer.
- Beware of downloads
- Where does malware come from? Downloads.
- That’s why it’s so important to be careful when downloading something from the Internet. Stopping malicious software at the source keeps you – and your computer – safe. Choose official app stores to download apps, updates and modifications, and use caution when opening attachments or clicking on links in suspicious emails.
Malware doesn’t just infect laptops and PCs — criminals can use it to attack your phone and tablet too. And unfortunately, antivirus products don’t usually work in the same way on these devices. According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, your safest bet is to restore your device to its factory settings — you’ll usually find this option in your device’s settings section.
If you’re having trouble with any of this, it may be worth getting expert help on what to do next.
Report it to the right people
If your device has malware on it, there’s a chance the criminals who sent it to you can see everything that’s on it — your personal data, the sites you’re visiting, absolutely everything. And with this information, they could use your details to steal your data to access your bank accounts or contact your financial services providers to do damage there too.
If you’ve been hit with a malware attack, you can report it to Anti-Fraud Centre (try to do this from a different device to the one that’s infected). You should also let your bank know if you think your account details have been accessed too.
And if you think your details for your insurance product has been compromised, you can report it to us directly and we’ll look into it.