Recently, I was innocently Googling an event space for a bridal shower that I had received an invitation for. I clicked on the side panel of Google where it shows the map because I was curious where this location was exactly. I clicked here:
The very next window that opened was:
Lucky me! I’m the 5-billionth search!
You can imagine my surprise. This is definitely not something I would think would pop up since I just clicked on the map icon in Google itself. Could this really happen since it’s a credible website? Or am I really the 5-billionth search? In my head, I had to remind myself, if it’s too good to be true - most likely it is. Also, it’s 2020. Nothing this great can really happen right now. Before I clicked on anything else, I quickly opened a new browser window and typed “You’ve made the 5-billionth search scam?” and of course… I was right. Thank goodness I did not click on any of those enticing gift boxes that could have spiraled me down a road of malware and sharing my personal information.
The next step I took was closing/quitting my browser. I closed every program and completely shut off my computer. I made sure the internet was no longer connected. I signed back in, I went to my settings in Chrome. I cleared my browsing data, my cookies, and other site data. I did all of this under Settings – Privacy and Security.
Privacy and Security tab in Chrome
Then I ran a safety check via Settings-Safety Check in Chrome.
Safety check in Chrome
Had I clicked on one of those gift boxes, or offered my personal info they requested, I would have taken this even further. No judgement here, but if you did take the bait, here are the next few steps:
1. Back everything up. Save all files that matter most to you. You don’t want your files, photos, etc. in the hands of someone with bad intentions who can bribe you for it later.
2. Run a complete scan of your malware. Depending on the level of your technology expertise, feel free to give us a call if you are at this point and not sure what to do next. We are more than happy to support to small and medium-sized businesses in the Greater St. Louis area through managed services, or business IT services.
3. Change your passwords. We are big fans of 2 Factor Authentication. This is where you use 2 steps to log in. Either via an app on your phone, a text massage or maybe an email with a code. This is an amazing extra layer of protection. There are many ways to do this, but at Acropolis we use IT Glue.
4. The final step would be to get educated so this does not happen again. Remember, if it’s too good to be true – it most likely is.
We all let our guards down once in a while. Maybe we think it’s a sign or we are feeling lucky that day. It happens to the best of us. The important thing is that we learn from our mistakes and recover/restore as soon as possible.
For more information and learning material, head over to our Webinar Series. We love educating on best practices in cyber security! For more help or information how our managed services, fill out the form below or call us at 314.890.2208.
Blog written by Maria Berra 11/23/20