From my companies IT dept. I sure our computer gurus know this but us rank amateurs may not.
Ransomware on the Rise (Keep Safe Quick Tips)
Computer attacks are on the rise and the biggest and scariest are Ransomware which is a type of virus code which encrypts your data and forces you to pay a ransom to get it back. This latest ransomware attack to make the news was Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in California which was attacked and forced to pay 40 Bitcoins (About $17,000 US dollars).
These types of attacks are also happening to home users who are not up to date with their computer updates and antivirus definitions. For most home users who get attacked by ransomware, the amounts usually range from $210 to $500.00. If you don’t pay up and don’t have a good backup of your files stored someplace else (like the cloud) you will lose access to your files.
One of the biggest new treat is LOCKY. This ransomware has exploded lately with over 5 million affected emails as of February 17 according to Symantec. The average ransom demand is 1 bitcoin which translate to about $420.00. Although our Nat Sherman Office 365 email system scans all emails for this type of threat, it is possible your personnel email system does not. So always make sure not open any unknown attachments and keep your systems up to date.
Tips on protecting yourself from ransomware:
• Regularly back up any files stored on your computer. If your computer does become infected with ransomware, your files can be restored once the malware has been removed.
• Always keep your security software up to date to protect yourself against any new variants of malware.
• Keep your operating system and other software updated. Software updates will frequently include patches for newly discovered security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.
• Delete any suspicious-looking emails you receive, especially if they contain links or attachments.
• Be extremely wary of any Microsoft Office email attachment that advises you to enable macros to view its content. Unless you are absolutely sure that this is a genuine email from a trusted source, do not enable macros and instead immediately delete the email.
