A recent cyberattack on Solarwinds compromised information from thousands of companies, prompting concerns across the country.

From March through December, hackers broke into the Solarwinds system and placed malware on the programs of 18,000 companies.

So how do you stay safe online and protect yourself from security breaches? Spectrum News spoke to the CEO of a computer security service to find out.

Loptr Founder and CEO Dave Newell said companies should monitor their networks and see who is connected to their servers. As for the average citizen, watch your own computer networks, beware of phony ads and stay away from skeptical websites that you may even come across on social media.

“There's this huge fraudulent activity going on with ads that are being sent to us via Facebook and via the web for products that really don't exist from companies that are fake or are designed to send the wrong thing to you,” he said.

When you are shopping online you should go to well-known sites, call the company you wish to buy from and read reviews of websites and online stores before making any purchases.