Trick or Trap? 10 Tips to Avoid Halloween Viruses

Happy Halloween! Today is all about candy, costumes and fun, and there might even be a few tricks and surprises along the way too.

However, Halloween viruses aren't just a pretend scary thing, and managed service providers (MSPs) must warn their customers that these very real IT security threats can damage computers, networks and servers.

"Halloween is one of the most celebrated holidays, and cybercriminals always want to be part of it," Marta López of antivirus software company Panda Security wrote in a blog post. "Hackers take advantage of the most popular Hollywood titles to launch so-called BlackHat SEO attacks, i.e. false Google and other search engine results with keywords related to popular topics of the time, to trick users into clicking on their links."

López also pointed out that hackers frequently use spam to launch attacks.

"[Hackers] use typical Halloween characters to trick users and bring them to where they want," she said. "This way, in addition to obtaining personal data and revenue through clicks achieved, they redirect the user to other websites selling fraudulent or prohibited products."

Halloween viruses can be terrifying, but there are numerous ways to avoid these problems altogether. 

What are the best ways to stop Halloween viruses? Here are 10 tips from Panda Security that MSPs can share with customers to minimize these IT security risks.

Also, I welcome your thoughts via Twitter @dkobialka or email at [email protected].