Malware: are you protected?

Last updated: 1 May 2018

The increasing digitisation of industry plays a vital role in business growth - but it also brings risk. Some of the risks to your organisation include: data loss, financial loss, hardware damage, and paralysis of business activity.

What is malware?

Malware can hide inside innocuous-looking software (trojans), or spread between machines without relying on user interaction (worms). It can be custom-designed to evade defences and execute specific tasks.

What do I need to know?

It’s important to be vigilant in your online activity to make sure that you remain protected.
Malware is usually delivered via email ‘phishing’ or fraudulent links. Malicious apps and USB memory sticks can also compromise smartphones and computers respectively. Malware can stay hidden for months until activated.

Internet banking users might be redirected to fake sites which record their logon data to enable financial theft.

What do malware attacks look like?

With criminals constantly devising new ways to steal information and money, malware attacks can present themselves in ever-changing ways. We’ve put together a list of potential ways that you may experience a malware attack.

A fraud attack may be underway if you’re:

told that HSBCnet is unavailable AFTER you have entered your logon details.
requested to use the yellow button on your security device during logon.
presented with a “Please Wait” screen when accessing HSBCnet.
prompted repeatedly to re-enter your username, password or security code.
asked to enter your personal information – ie. your phone number, date of birth, etc.
presented screens that look different than the screens you’re familiar with.
experiencing slower than normal response times when accessing HSBCnet.

If you suspect you have been the victim of fraud, contact your HSBC representative immediately.

We want to help you build your cybercrime knowledge and help you stay safe online. Learn more about how to defend your organisation against malware by reading the factsheets available in the HSBCnet Help Centre.