Following the embarrassing hacking and data breach at the Italian spyware company Hacking Team which sells spyware to governments, it has been learned that the release of the 400 gigabytes of files, source code and emails stolen and made public has enabled hackers and identity thieves to use that information to construct malware to exploit the vulnerabilities uncovered by creating zero day exploits which are malware for which there are no known security patches yet developed.  These zero day exploit kits are presently being sold on the black market to hackers and identity thieves around the world.

Now Rook Security, a computer security company is offering a free scan that can identify if your computer has already been infected by one of these new malware programs.  Here is the link to their website and the free scan.  https://www.rooksecurity.com/hacking-team-malware-detection-utility/

TIPS

Everyone should make sure that they have all of their computers, smartphones and electronic devices protected by anti-malware and anti-virus software and that your security software is constantly and automatically updated with the latest security updates.  The failure to update security software when new vulnerabilities are discovered and patched is a major factor in many data breaches and identity thefts.  In addition, the primary way that most data breaches and identity thefts are accomplished with malware is through phishing where victims are lured into clicking on links in emails and text messages containing malware.  The lesson is clear.  Don’t click on links unless you are absolutely sure that they are legitimate.