In 2020, malware is on the rise. Hackers are finding increasingly sophisticated ways to trick people into downloading Trojan horse software.

Most of these campaigns target a wide range of people, especially those without the technical knowledge to download antivirus software or avoid dubious links. But whether you want to admit it or not, no one is immune to the psychological tricks used by scammers. And everyone has private information and browsing history that they desperately want to keep private.

When you are the target of phishing, malware, ransomware, or other attacks, it is difficult to rationalize what to do. This quick guide should help you determine the right next steps to take.

Unless you have invested in a reliable VPN, you are being tracked. Your IP address, browsing history, and cookies are publicly available for various sites and browsers to access. And those sites can pass that information on to others, either willingly or inadvertently through data leakage.

In most cases, that means targeted advertising. But at the root of it all, there is always the fear that bad people will access your data, and they will use that fear against you. One infamous example of this is when hackers took advantage of people's browser guilt and leaked their personal data to set up a "sextortion" scam.

The gist of the ruse was to first list one of your passwords, which would prove that they already had full access to your computer and webcam, and use this to record your "private time." You are told to send them money in bitcoins before they share the sleazy video with anyone you know.

Other scams follow a similar trend, although the crimes vary in severity. They insinuate bad things that most people have probably done (viewed pornography, illegally downloaded music, inadvertently visited a questionable website) and then add more personal information to panic you. Even accusations that you know are false can scare you into following them if they are convinced that they will spread false rumors if you don't pay them.

They don't want you to realize that, rationally, if they have access to your PC, they can access your information and accounts without resorting to blackmail or surveillance. It is less time consuming and less expensive to create an e-mail template, cast a wide net, and wait for people with a guilty conscience to give them what they want.

If a phishing email uses your personal information to scare you, immediately say, "Have I Been Pwned." If the phishing email uses your email and old password, ignore the email, the phishing email knows nothing about you Take comfort in the fact that they don't know you and have something else to steal.

More drastic measures are only necessary if the information is truly personal and targeted, or if your computer has clearly been compromised. Panicking, however, is neither necessary nor productive to solve the problem.

When it comes to malware, hackers are playing a long game with your computer. While malware collects your financial information, they want it to go undetected. While terrifying in concept, in reality there is nothing you can do about it other than leave your firewall intact, avoid untrusted links, and change your passwords. There is reason to believe that an email that clearly states that you are infected with malware is trying to scare you with an invisible boogeyman.

When ransomware pops up on your computer, hackers may try to make the problem more serious than it really is, but it is usually a more serious problem.

Typically, the computer is frozen and a message appears saying that a fee must be paid to unlock the computer or the files will be permanently deleted. But they know that a PC repair store can find a way to restart your computer in safe mode and remove the ransomware.

So again, they turn to the threat to your personality. Ransomware scripts may suggest that if you do not pay the ransom, they will email your dirty little secrets to everyone you know. Thus, you will want to avoid going to a professional for fear of being exposed to repercussions.

But again, ransomware on your computer does not mean that the hackers who created the virus will have access to your computer or browser history, nor will they search for such information.

If you don't have backups of your important files and can't find a way to delete them, I acknowledge that you will have to pay the ransom. Just keep in mind that you will also be letting the extortionist know that you are threatened to pay. Whatever is in your browser history, whatever files are locked, that is not the message you want to convey.

Ultimately, your job in a situation like this is to put aside irrational guilt and salvage as much data as you can without engaging with phantom extortionists. antivirus software like '360' is designed to wipe ransomware from any computer."