A new and disturbing form of thrive online seems to have emerged on US territory.
According to what the victims told, the computer stops working, literally freezing. This phenomenon, which alarms and disorientates the potential victim, is followed by a telephone call. Through this, thebanking assistance or relative all’hardware of the PC, trying every possible trick to obtain personal datacome password and not only.
In this sense, apparently, the scammers have previously infected the computer and act remotely, intervening by exploiting the panic of the victim to deceive him more easily.
It is, therefore, a form of cyber attack that exploits certain techniques social engineeringgoing beyond the classic malware.
PC blocked and call from a phantom assistance: how to avoid disasters
Even if this scam has not yet reached the old continent, it is possible that similar cases will soon occur in our country too.
In this sense, adopting a antivirus it can be useful to prevent the actual block but, to avoid risks, it is best to adopt a more refined defensive strategy.
In cases of suspicious calls from assistance or similar, it is best to try to contain yourself and do not provide any type of information. An excuse could be to explain how you are not at home or are in an emergency situation. Requesting a number to contact later usually deters evildoers and directs them to other victims who are easier to deal with.
Obviously cybercriminals will leverage the sense of urgency, pushing towards some potentially fatal revelations. In that case, when in doubt it is better to close the call. If necessary, it is good practice to take the computer to a technicianif you are unable to restore it yourself.
If you intend to act independently, carry out scans and change all passwords immediately (with priority for banking services/platforms) is almost a must.
Finally, again from a prevention perspective, the advice is to maintain operating system e antivirus updated. In this way it is possible to avoid cases of this type a priori.
