PC security threats to watch out for in 2016: ransomware, adware and browser hijackers

<p>Just because 2015 has been titled as a year of ransomware, it does not mean that things are going to change in 2016. It seems that everything is going to get worse this year because cyber criminals keep creating one ransomware variant after another. Frauds patiently spend weeks updating computer viruses and creating new techniques to attack computer users. In addition to that, it was noticed that adware and browser hijackers spread just as quick as more severe viruses, and that means that the majority of computer users are still unaware of risks related to these spyware-type programs. The only good thing is that unlike ransom viruses, adware and browser hijackers do not wreak havoc on the computer system and can be uninstalled rather easily. However, ransomware threats can do irreparable damage to the PC and corrupt personal files stored on it forever. Although computer security experts make every effort to create individual decryption tools for each ransomware variant, we must say that this fight against cyber criminals is quite unequal because it takes a lot more time to root up how each ransomware works and what key it uses to encrypt victims files than to create a new ransomware variant. Therefore, computer security experts advise computer users to take precautions and secure their PCs against ransomware and other threats in advance.</p>
<p><img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://novirus.uk/wp-content/uploads/news/infected-computer-screen.jpg” alt=”Desktop of infected computer” /></p>
<p>Let's take a look at cyber threats that affected the most computers worldwide. One of the most irritating types of potentially unwanted programs is a browser hijacker. Such programs are designed to hijack web browsers and change homepage, default new tab page and primary search engine settings. The most common variants of browser hijackers are:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href=”https://novirus.uk/piesearch-com-virus/”>Piesearch.com</a>;</li>
<li><a href=”https://www.2-spyware.com/remove-sweet-page-com.html”>Sweet-Page.com</a>;</li>
<li><a href=”https://www.2-spyware.com/remove-www-searching-com-virus.html”>www-searching.com</a>;</li>
<li><a href=”https://novirus.uk/yoursites123-com-virus/”>YourSites123.com</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Speaking of the most widespread adware variants, we can say that nothing much have changed since 2015. The most distinguished adware programs are: </p>
<ul>
<li><a href=”https://novirus.uk/dns-unlocker-adware/”>DNS Unlocker</a>;</li>
<li><a href=”https://www.2-spyware.com/remove-offers4u.html”>Offers4U</a>;</li>
<li><a href=”https://www.2-spyware.com/remove-shopper-pro.html”>Shopper Pro</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>The ad-supported programs have already infected a countless number of computers around the world. Computer users continuously complain about the ads these programs deliver and that they cannot get rid of them. These annoying programs track user&rsquo;s activity on world wide web and then generate misleading sponsored ads, which redirect the victim to questionable third-party websites. When it comes to ransomware viruses, most infamous ones are:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href=”https://novirus.uk/cryptolocker/”>CryptoLocker</a>;</li>
<li><a href=”https://novirus.uk/cryptowall-virus/”>CryptoWall</a>;</li>
<li><a href=”https://novirus.uk/locky-virus/”>Locky</a>;</li>
<li><a href=”https://novirus.uk/teslacrypt-virus/”>TeslaCrypt</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>It is extremely important to protect your PC before these viruses attack the computer, because once they manage to enter the computer system, it is impossible to stop them. They encrypt victim&rsquo;s files and command the user to pay a ransom if he/she wants to access these files ever again. Considering the fact that ransom viruses use intricate algorithms to take victim&rsquo;s files hostage and that is is nearly impossible to decrypt them once the data encryption is done, the only way to secure your files is to backup them and also install a powerful anti-malware software on the computer. It is also advisable to install a good computer optimization tool that would take care of Windows Registry and fix various computer system errors. If you do not know what PC optimizer is worth your trust, we recommend you to look for information on sites like <a href=”https://ugetfix.com/”>Ugetfix.com</a>.</p>