How to Avoid Phishing With the New “NetSupport Manager”
Phishing scams have been around since the early days of email proliferation, but the basic tactic remains the same : hackers send you fake links or files via email that force you to share personal information or install malicious software on your device. These fake links are easy to spot if you use basic Internet security techniques , but the latest phishing scams are more sophisticated in disguising their intentions.
A recently discovered phishing campaign injects a legitimate remote desktop tool called NetSupport Manager onto your device, hiding it in “secure” password files that can be scanned for viruses (via ZDNet ). The files are sent in important financial emails that are marked “urgent” to encourage users to open them. Large companies are most at risk, but the campaign also targets individual users to get their hands on their personal information and potentially steal their identity. After installing NetSupport Manager, hackers can gain remote access to your devices, network and all applications and data stored on them.
This is a new strategy, but like all phishing attacks, it can be completely avoided if you know what to look for. Carefully check every email you receive from unknown sources, don’t click random links, download or open attachments that you don’t expect, even if they seem important and seem “safe”. If you have opened random emails containing “protected” files, you can check to see if NetSupport Manager is installed on your computer. If so, uninstall it immediately .
You should also install an antivirus program for real-time protection and an anti-malware program for regular scans. While some fake files may go undetected by scanning, most of them will still be detected, and antivirus software can help remove malicious files if they manage to infiltrate your system.