Peeler Group International provides a series of information to help you recognize and confront risks that surround us daily.

Your “Situational Awareness” is paramount to protecting yourself, your loved ones, and other personal and business interests.

Our first informational photo provides an overview of how our digital footprint may place us at risk.

Commonly known today as malware. A computer virus like a virus in the human body enters your system and begins copying itself, continually spreading to affect other programs.

Trojan Horses is another malware. Unlike viruses, Trojans must be installed on a computer by a user and are used to steal, modify, and destroy data; it can hold your computer or entire network hostage.

Keylogging is where hackers install software that records everything you type on your keyboard or click on with your mouse.

A user lands on a malicious site and receives an aggressive pop-up that cannot be closed or continually opens, locking the user’s browser. They often look like warnings from legitimate companies, but the “company” you pay to is the hacker holding your system hostage.

This hacking strategy is straightforward. A criminal sets up a free Wireless Access Point in a public location, hotel, or airport with a name that sounds legitimate. Then the hacker monitors traffic of people logging onto their WAP, gathering all kinds of data, personal and business information.

The information we provided is very basic. PGI strongly recommends you educate yourself and protect yourself through awareness. Here are a few suggested sites to follow and check in on:

• Cyber Crime Watch
• Microsoft Cyber Security Fundamentals
• Apple Cyber Security – iPhone

There are many more resources available on the web – but always check the source of the information and be sure to visit legitimate product manufacture and services websites.