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Here’s a little helpful news for those of you who use public (unsecured) wi-fi networks: there’s a new danger out there, in the form of Typhoid adware. Just like the disease of the same name, it’s very dangerous.
Simply put, the adware infects a host computer, which then transmits it to users of the same public wi-fi network that computer is hooked up to. This could affect users in net cafes, libraries, schools, and things of that sort.
Basically, the host computer grabs the other computers’ signals, and then inserts ads into them. As it stands right now, it’s just an annoyance. But in theory this new threat could be used to install malware onto computers, which could at its worse render computers useless.
How can you stop this? Well, you can’t stop it per se, but you can protect yourself by ensuring that any computer you use to connect to public wi-fi networks are fitted with the latest anti-virus programs. It’s especially important for those who run their own businesses, and/or engage in financial transactions online, because if used as malware, this new program could intercept bank information, and even financial information belonging to your customers!
As always, be careful of what software you download, especially “free” software, and be careful of the websites you visit. An added feature of most anti-virus programs is the ability to flag known malicious websites so that you are warned before it gets out of hand.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done to stop more advanced malware from doing its dirty deeds, but you can try to mitigate the damage done to your computers by using common sense and powerful anti-virus software.
