Malware / Virus checks from Uptime.com checks your site against two major malware databases. Malware is any type of unwanted or malicious code. Malware includes viruses, which are malware designed to replicate and spread, as well as spyware, adware, trojans and more. A Malware / Virus check uses the Google Safe Browsing List and the Yandex Safe Browsing List to determine if your site has malware.

It’s official. Ransomware isn’t just one of the most common types of malware, it is the most prevalent malware used in cyberattacks according to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). This report found that of the data breaches involving malware in 2017, 39 percent made use of ransomware, which was twice the amount used the previous year.

Recently, there has been a string of attacks affecting some ransomware victims who pay their ransom in an attempt to regain access to their encrypted data. These ransom payments are being intercepted by a third party, ironcally turning the ransomware attackers into the second victim. As a result, the original ransomware victims are victimized a second time, as they won’t get their data back since the ransomware attackers never receive the ransom money.

In recent years, revelations of security holes in widely used IT hardware and software have put IT pros on edge. A few times a year, a huge cybersecurity announcement introduces chaos into the IT world, forcing network and systems administrators to scramble to secure their environments and deal with the fallout.