Don’t let the name fool you – there’s a dangerous cyber storm brewing in the form of Cloud 9

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

We put in a lot of work to safeguard our clients from online cyber threats. These include key loggers, which record your login information as you type it, or DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, which flood a service with bad packets to make it crash.

As part of our service, we tell our clients to install software updates as soon as they’re released, and we provide support where needed.

But if you stumble across a website that tells you to download an update for Adobe Flash… DON’T!

Why? Because Flash was taken offline in 2020 and is no longer supported Therefore you should assume that any messages about Flash updates are a cyber security risk.

Fraudulent Flash messages are being used as cover for a new botnet campaign that uses a malicious browser extension called Cloud9. You could be a target if you use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

What’s a botnet? A botnet is a group of infected “zombie” computers hackers use without the owners’ knowledge to steal sensitive data, spam, or perform DDoS attacks on other targets.

And it gets worse: if you don’t stop Cloud9 quickly, it will spread malware to other devices on your network.

These attacks are hard to spot because they look like a real request. Therefore,  almost anyone can be a target.

But there are steps you can take to protect your business.

First, let everyone know about the danger. If your people know what to look for, they’re less likely to install it.

Second, make sure your software is up to date, starting with the web browser and security software on your company PC’s.

Last, but not least, make sure Enhanced Protection is turned on in the Privacy and Security settings of your browser. This will warn you come across a dangerous website or download.

Wondering how to stop cyber criminals from getting into your business? Get in touch with us today.

Responsive. Proactive. Leap Cloud Solutions.

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Cruickshank & Company