Have you ever needed to quickly convert a Word doc to a PDF or a PDF to a PowerPoint?
Chances are, you’ve used a free file converter website that you’ve found on Google to do so.
Quickly upload the file you want to convert, select your requirements and redownload the new file in no time at all. Seems easy, seems harmless.
Unfortunately not.
What lies beneath the surface can be something altogether more sinister.
Cyber criminals have infiltrated the free converters and are using them to infect your devices.
The converters often do what they promise, providing you with a new file in no time at all. But often the file that you download is corrupted with viruses, malware or even ransomware.
Say you download a file that is infected with malware. Once that file is on your system and the malware gets to work, your data could be stolen, your files compromised and your every move spied upon.
Just think about who’s looking into that file you’ve uploaded into the converter. It could be anyone and as we’ve explained it’s very likely to be a cyber criminal. If you’ve uploaded a document that contains passwords, personal data or banking details, you’ve just handed over the keys. It’s pure gold to a cyber criminal and they’ve barely had to lift a finger.
And you’d better hope there’s not ransomware in that file. If there is, you could be locked out of your files until you pay the ransom set by the cyber criminals, or restore from backups...you've got good backups right!?! Imagine how angry you would be!
The lure of a something quick, easy and free is too good for many people to resist, however the cost be can hefty. These new files you download can be really dangerous to you and your business.
They are so dangerous because there’s not really any way you’d notice if the files you have are infected. They look legitimate and do the job. They just have all sorts of cyber gremlins crawling through them ready to unleash on your private documents.
So, if you want our advice, stay clear of free converters. They’re simply just not worth the risk.
Use trusted, professional tools that come from reliable sources. Like the products that we can recommend to you!
Need help setting up safe, secure software alternatives for your team? Let Affinity help you.
Get in touch today for expert advice.
