Tag

Endpoint Security

Comprehensive resources on securing laptops, desktops, mobile devices, and other endpoints that connect to your network. Covers endpoint detection and response tools, device hardening, patch management, encryption, and policies that minimize the attack surface across distributed environments.

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Trojan Horse Malware

Trojan Horse Malware: What It Really Does to You

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 880,000 complaints with losses exceeding $12.5 billion — and a staggering number of those incidents started with a single file that looked perfectly legitimate. That file was trojan horse malware, disguised as an invoice, a software update,

Carl B. Johnson Apr 01, 2026 5 min read
Types of Malware

Types of Malware: What's Actually Hitting Networks in 2021

Colonial Pipeline Was Just the Beginning In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Colonial Pipeline paid DarkSide operators $4.4 million in ransom. Fuel shortages rippled across the Southeast for days. That attack used just one of the many types

Carl B. Johnson Sep 16, 2021 7 min read
Adware vs Spyware

Adware vs Spyware: What Security Pros Know You Don't

In March 2021, Avast researchers disclosed that at least 28 browser extensions — used by roughly three million people — were quietly harvesting browsing data and redirecting users to phishing and ad-laden sites. Some of those extensions looked like simple ad-blocking tools. Others posed as social media helpers. Under the hood, they

Carl B. Johnson Sep 16, 2021 7 min read
Trojan Horse Malware

Trojan Horse Malware: What It Is and How to Stop It

In July 2021, the REvil ransomware gang exploited a vulnerability in Kaseya's VSA software and dropped a trojan payload onto the systems of roughly 1,500 businesses worldwide. The attack didn't arrive as an obvious virus. It masqueraded as a legitimate software update — the textbook definition

Carl B. Johnson Sep 03, 2021 7 min read
Keylogger Attack

Keylogger Attack: How Hackers Steal Every Keystroke

In March 2021, security researchers discovered that the Agent Tesla keylogger had become one of the most prevalent malware families in the wild, appearing in phishing campaigns targeting organizations across every sector. This wasn't some exotic zero-day. It was a commodity keylogger attack tool that anyone could buy

Carl B. Johnson Sep 03, 2021 7 min read
Computer Virus Prevention

Computer Virus Prevention: 9 Steps That Actually Work

In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down Colonial Pipeline — the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Gasoline shortages spread across the Southeast. The company paid a $4.4 million ransom in Bitcoin. The root cause wasn't some exotic zero-day exploit. It was a legacy VPN

Carl B. Johnson Jul 01, 2021 7 min read
Computer Virus Prevention

Computer Virus Prevention: 9 Steps That Actually Work

The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack this month shut down fuel distribution across the eastern United States. A single compromised password led to one of the most disruptive cyberattacks in American history. If you think knowing how to computer virus prevent strategies is just IT housekeeping, that pipeline — and the gas

Carl B. Johnson May 29, 2021 6 min read
Ransomware

How Ransomware Spreads: 5 Attack Vectors You Must Block

A Single Click Cost One Hospital $67 Million In September 2020, Universal Health Services — one of the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. — got hit by the Ryuk ransomware strain. The attack shut down systems across 400 facilities. Patients were diverted. Records went analog. The final damage? An estimated

Carl B. Johnson Mar 12, 2021 7 min read
Mobile Device Security Policy

Mobile Device Security Policy: What Yours Is Missing

A Single Lost Phone Cost This Company $3.3 Million In 2023, the healthcare provider Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital disclosed a data breach where a security guard used login credentials on a personal mobile device to access the records of over 400 patients. That incident triggered an OCR investigation, reputational

Carl B. Johnson Oct 27, 2020 7 min read
BYOD Security Risks

BYOD Security Risks: What's Really on Your Network

The Personal Phone That Took Down a Hospital Network In 2023, a nurse at a mid-sized hospital plugged a personal phone into a workstation USB port to charge it. That phone was already compromised with malware from a sideloaded app. Within 72 hours, threat actors had lateral movement across the

Carl B. Johnson Oct 27, 2020 7 min read