Bot malware is a growing security threat. When we talk about ‘bots’, we may immediately think of the incredible AI chatbots like ChatGPT that have been making headlines recently. However, not all bots are good news. Some bots are simply automated programs, and bot malware is a new security threat that you need to be aware of and protect your business against.
Malware bots can be particularly dangerous because they can steal complete user profiles, including all of your ID and settings. This means that cybercriminals could potentially bypass security measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Typically, if someone steals your username and password, they still can’t access your account because they don’t have access to your MFA authentication method. However, with your entire profile available to them, they can use your cookies and device configurations to deceive security systems and effectively turn off MFA.
Once cybercriminals have stolen your profile information, they may sell it on the dark web for as little as $5. Shockingly, it doesn’t take super-sophisticated criminals to use this technique. Almost anyone can obtain your details and use them for phishing emails, scams, and other criminal activities.
Since 2018, there have been reports of 5 million people having 26.6 million usernames and passwords stolen. This gave cybercriminals access to accounts belonging to companies like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook.
Therefore, there are essential things that you need to do immediately to keep your profiles and your business safe from bot malware. These include updating your antivirus software and keeping it on at all times, using a password manager and Multi-Factor Authentication to keep your login credentials safer, and encrypting all your files so that there’s very little to steal if anyone does access your profile.
At SquarePlanIT, we help our clients with these protective measures every day. If you need any assistance, get in touch!
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