A Simple Search String Can Ruin More Than Your Day – It Could Be a Nightmare!
“Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” DO NOT SEARCH THIS PHRASE!
If that isn’t clear enough: DO NOT SEARCH THIS PHRASE OR ANYTHING LIKE IT!! (That’s a two-exclamation-point warning.)
We don’t know why, but we learned that this search highly specific phrase is being used to lure cat lovers doing research in Australia to a website that will immediately begin downloading the dangerous Gootloader installer on a searcher’s computer. It doesn’t need your permission and will automatically download to your computer. Once it starts, it’s too late.
These cybercriminals aren’t coming for your cat but are coming for your personal information. This sounds amusing, but it’s very dangerous.
We have conversations with clients all of the time where we urge them to add security to websites and to take protective measures to safeguard their digital properties. And it never ceases to amaze us that with the hard work we do to stay as current as we can, people are constantly questioning this.
In many cases, we don’t make a dime for these products. There are products that we sell, but often we just recommend things to protect clients because it is in their best interest.
There are very good identity protection programs out there, and they’re worth it. Identity Guard, LifeLock, ID Watchdog are three we can name off the top of our heads, and there are probably many others that are quite effective.
When you’re playing a defensive game, finding good protection is critical. If you consider the cost of these – let’s ballpark it at $250 per year for you and a partner – and weigh that against the hours it will take for you to do the recovery and restoration work you would have to do in the aftermath, you will have to conclude that these services provide great value. It’s another form of insurance, and it’s quite an inexpensive form of insurance.
Having backups for your digital properties and making sure you are with a web hosting company that provides you with the customer service and tools necessary to restore yourself quickly is a great choice. Power Pair Marketing are GoDaddy resellers because we really believe in the product, but we don’t force a purchase through us. There are few other web hosting companies we would recommend, and some we won’t work with.
Yes, that means we would rather not take on a client who is making a bad choice because we don’t want the aggravation. We want a good partnership with a client, and if we are in disagreement over literally a few dollars a month, we’ll politely decline the work.
Bengal cats in Australia – we’re still shaking our heads in bemusement, but there is a great lesson to be learned. It’s something we want our clients, the small law firms, insurance brokers, accounting practices, and financial advisors we work with to be on their toes about. We want you to be well protected and in a position to recover quickly should the worst happen.
https://thehackernews.com/2024/11/new-gootloader-campaign-targets-users.html
https://www.identityguard.com/
https://www.idwatchdog.com/