While you watch HD movies online, you may not worry about being infected with malware. But as with anything else, cyber criminals and mischievous hackers lie in wait, having laid their online traps. In order to avoid those traps, you have to be prepared. While it’s best to avoid malware altogether, sometimes bad things happen despite our best efforts. In such cases, it’s vital to do damage control and strive to remove the malware at once.
Having up-to-date anti-virus software will help you deal with threats once you have encountered them. Many of the most popular security programs have free versions that will provide the very basic service of scanning your computer for infected files.
In addition to anti-virus software being up-to-date, the rest of your software must be kept up to date, also. Make sure you always update your operating system, browser, office programs, as well as any other programs or applications you use. Even if you don’t use something that often, if it has an update, go through with installing it a soon as you can.
Malware is Everywhere When You Watch HD Movies Online
The prevalence of malware has never been higher. According to the December 2017 McAfee Labs Threat Report, Q3 2017 saw the highest count of new malwaresamples ever recorded. Some of this had to do with the historic hacks the world saw in 2017, including the hack involving credit reporting agency Equifax. The breach of Equifax affected a larger number of people than any known subsequent hack. If large companies can be compromised, individuals certainly can, too.
Falling victim to a malicious download is one of the most common ways computers can become infected with malware. Using a streaming service to watch HD movies online removes this risk, as you don’t have to actually download each movie. If you do decide you want a digital copy of a particular film, make sure you purchase it from a well-known, credible source. Trying to get around copyright laws by buying a pirated version of a movie is not only detrimental to those who worked hard to make the movie but could also likely infect your computer with malware.
Using Streaming Services to Watch HD Movies Online
Using a streaming service may eliminate the risk of being infected via malicious download, but it certainly doesn’t make you 100% safe. Even YouTube, the world’s largest video streaming site, has seen its fair share of malware infections.
People who just wanted to watch HD movies online have been victimized in the past. And while individuals and companies alike are constantly adapting to new threats by creating more robust defenses, hackers do the same in devising new ways to compromise those defenses. YouTube, for example, has been known to have at least three vulnerabilities when it comes to its user’s obtaining malware.
The first involves links left in the comment section beneath videos. An attacker will place a link promising a user a “free download” or some other kind of enticing deal. The unsuspecting streamer clicks the link and gets re-directed to a fake site where they can download something. The download will then infect the user’s system with malware.
The second type of risk on YouTube involves malicious advertisements. A malicious ad is one that appears innocuous but actually directs a user to a malicious site. There was an instance of this happening in 2014, but the attackers were only able to target users who were watching HD video online using an outdated version of Internet Explorer. This reinforces the importance of always promptly installing software updates.
While malicious advertisement links sounds like it might be easy enough for a company to prevent, it’s not always so straightforward. While YouTube deletes malicious links as soon as they can, attackers have sometimes managed to make link direct to a safe site, then have the safe site direct to a fake one. Because of this, YouTube only saw the link directing to the safe site.
Gain Peace of Mind While You Watch HD Movies Online
All in all, be careful of where you click and what you download when you watch HD movies online. If you exercise caution and also keep your software up-to-date while using an anti-virus program, you should be able to stop most malware in its tracks.
While the threat of malware has never been greater, neither has the effectiveness and simplicity of cybersecurity software. Put your mind at ease while you watch HD movies online. Get protection by Symantec at the AISink shop today.
