Increase in ransomware attacks..

[fink]

http://www.infoworld.com/article/307...n-attacks.html

The latest estimates from the FBI show ransomware cost victims $209 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $24 million for all of 2015. That doesn't cover only the ransoms paid out -- it also includes costs of downtime, the time required to clean off the infection, and resources spent recovering systems from backup.

The good news is that staying ahead of ransomware requires the same steps as basic malware prevention: tightening security measures, keeping software up-to-date, and maintaining clean backups.

[HAN]

(The following is my opinion based on the sad state of affairs at many places around the web.)

One thing I'd like to add beyond the tips offered in the article...

I know that many sites, (including this one) use ads to pay the bills. It's how things evolved and it used to be safe to display ads in a user's browser. But the issue is that ad sources are not being monitored sufficiently in many cases. Many (most?) website owners (for many reasons) contract the ad space on their pages out for simplicity/time savings and let the contractor deal with the ads. But in many cases, no one is really checking where the ads are coming from or if they include any bad code in them. As the article points out

malicious advertisements are injected into third-party advertising networks and victims are compromised by navigating to websites displaying those ads.

Malicious ads and tainted emails are the core infection methods these days. We have all been pummeled for years with how to be safe using email. But lots of users aren't aware they can take quick and fairly easy action against bad ads.

How?

Use a frequently updated browser that you can add a robust (and frequently updated) ad blocker to. IMO, the best choice for now is Google Chrome with the uBlock Origin extension. It appears to me that no other browser can match this combo (at least for now.) After years of using Firefox, within the last month, I switched all the PCs where I work to Chrome/uBlock Origin and have been switching all my friends and family too. (uBlock Origin has more capabilities than just blocking ads. But for most users, it's ad blocking is enough for decent protection.)

I wish there was some other way to deal with this issue but until the web can clean up the ad cesspool, web use safety has pushed us into this situation.

EDIT
(I still use Firefox at home but I ONLY run it sandboxed/isolated from the actual Windows system. I no longer consider it safe enough to use on it's own without much better protection between itself and the OS.)

[HAN]

Saw this article about Chrome today. More reasons why, IMO, most users should at least consider using Google Chrome as their browser.

http://www.howtogeek.com/257964/how-...hy-you-should/

[foxy]

I also use Bit Defender AntiRansomware, which runs in the background. Also MalwareBytes AntiExploit. Not likely I'll ever click on an ad, but I use uBlock Origin on my Firefox anyway.

The article compares Chrome to Edge, not to Firefox. I tried Chrome.
--It's a huge piece of spyware for delivering your every move to Google, and trying to get you to link every function of your life into one identifiable bundle.
--It's totally naked, couldn't even figure out how to show my bookmarks.
--And most of the time, it refuses to show any web pages at all. Just sits there blank, with the word "Loading..." forever loading.

Any basic tips without my having to join a Chrome forum?

[jdc2000]

If you want to use the Chrome engine, but without the lack of user interface and spying, try Vivaldi instead. It does bookmarks a lot better.

https://vivaldi.com

[HAN]

--And most of the time, it refuses to show any web pages at all. Just sits there blank, with the word "Loading..." forever loading.

Hmm... I've never had that happen, ever. And I've installed Chrome on 3 or 4 dozen machines. I have no answer for that behavior. Especially if it's not happening for IE, Firefox or whatever.

--It's a huge piece of spyware for delivering your every move to Google, and trying to get you to link every function of your life into one identifiable bundle.

This has been said from day one when Chrome came out. IMO, it's not true. At least not completely. (Now Android, that I am convinced they track us there. And much of it can't be turned off!) Does Google offer a great suite of apps? Yes, absolutely. Seems like a fair deal that I allow them some of my info in exchange for arguably the best suite of products available (IMO!!)

Back to Chrome on the PC... If you are "signed in" with your Google account, yes, your web surfing can be recorded as an unique individual. But there is a page Google offers to control that info called My Activity. I just checked mine and it shows nothing because I stopped the activity tracking. https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity
If you're not signed in, adjust the content settings accordingly and clear the browsing history in Chrome itself fairly often.

--It's totally naked, couldn't even figure out how to show my bookmarks.

No question. It's a minimalist approach. The 3 horizontal hash marks in the upper right are the menu. All the basic settings are there. Including bookmark options/settings.

Keep in mind that every piece of software that connects to the web is a potential concern for privacy leaks. Look at all the trouble Microsoft is in over Windows 10! At least Google is up front about it.

[foxy]

I didn't know this had replies, so I'm a little late. I have found My Activity since you posted this. But I don't use Google's suite or any of their services except Youtube, after which I scrub my puter with bleach and boiling water. So there's no tradeoff.

I suspect Chrome doesn't run with XP. I sometimes have the same problem with Opera, although v. 36 is reputed to run in XP --loading, loading, loading...

I'm running FF with UblockOrigin now. I still need a secondary browser, so I'll try Vivaldi. I need only LastPass and an adblocker.

Why do you consider FF unsafe?

[HAN]

Why do you consider FF unsafe?

Here is a small note from early 2016 that mentions my concerns https://it.slashdot.org/story/16/02/...e-its-too-easy

I'm not saying that I'm absolutely right. But I am saying I have doubts about using FF without running some extra protection around it (as I do with sandboxing and using a limited user account when surfing.)