Hello All!

Posted: March 11, 2016 by Wendy Zamora
Last updated: May 19, 2017

Picture this: You've spent the last few weeks working on a tribute video for a
friend's 30th wedding anniversary. You collected photos and video clips and
edited them together, laying over a soundtrack of their favorite songs. It was
a real labor of love.

When you finally finish the project, you go to copy the file onto a DVD
and-what the?-a strange message pops up.

"The files on this computer have been encrypted. You have 96 hours to submit
payment, otherwise your files will be permanently destroyed."

You've been hit with ransomware.

You didn't back up the anniversary video. In fact, you haven't backed up any of
 your files in months. What do you do?

Unfortunately, when it comes to ransomware, once your files are encrypted,
there's not much you can do-besides cut your losses or pay up. And even if you
do pay up, there's a chance you won't get your files back, so you're out the
files and your cash.

For businesses around the world, the stakes are even higher. The recent
outbreak of WanaCryt0r was the largest ransomware attack in the history of the
Internet, freezing hospital workers out of critical data and disrupting
operations of organizations in 150 countries.

These types of attacks can have a devastating impact, from losing precious
personal data to shutting down hospital services in the middle of emergency
procedures. In some cases, it's a matter of life or death.

That's why it's so important to prevent ransomware attacks from happening in
the first place.

Types of ransomware
The first step in ransomware prevention is to recognize the different types of
ransomware you can be hit with. Ransomware can range in seriousness from mildly
 off-putting to Cuban Missile Crisis severe.

Scareware
Okay, yes, it's called scareware, but in comparison to other types of
ransomware-not so scary. Scareware includes rogue security software and tech
support scams. You might receive a pop-up message claiming that a bajillion
pieces of malware were discovered and the only way to get rid of them is to pay
 up. If you do nothing, you'll likely continue to be bombarded with pop-ups,
but your files are essentially safe. A quick scan from your security software
should be able to clear out these suckers. For simple instructions on how to
clean an infected computer, check out our step-by-step guide.

Pro tip: A legitimate cybersecurity software program would not solicit
customers in this way. If you don't already have this company's software on
your computer, then they would not be monitoring you for ransomware infection.
If you do have this company's software, you wouldn't need to pay to have the
infection removed-you've already paid for the software to do that very job.

Screen lockers
Upgrade to terror alert orange for these guys. When lock-screen ransomware gets
 on your computer, it means you're frozen out of your PC entirely. Upon
starting up your computer, a full-size window will appear, often accompanied by
 an official-looking FBI or U.S. Department of Justice seal saying illegal
activity has been detected on your computer and you must pay a fine.

In order to reclaim control of your PC, a full system restore might be in
order. If that doesn't work, you can try running a scan from a bootable CD or
USB drive.

Pro tip: The FBI would not freeze you out of your computer or demand payment
for illegal activity. If they suspected you of piracy, child pornography, or
other cybercrimes, they would go through the appropriate legal channels.

Encrypting ransomware
This is the truly nasty stuff. These are the guys who snatch up your files and
encrypt them, demanding payment in order to decrypt and redeliver. The reason
why this type of ransomware is so dangerous is because once cybercriminals get
ahold of your files, no security software or system restore can return them to
you. Unless you pay the ransom-they're gone. And even if you do pay up, there's
 no guarantee the cybercriminals will give you those files back.

Pro tip: The FBI has changed its position on whether folks should pay the
ransom. They now agree with cybersecurity professionals, who advise you to
avoid this option. Complying with ransomware criminals just opens the door up
for future attacks. If, however, really valuable files are at stake, you can
try to negotiate the release of the most important for less money. This should
only be done as a last resort.

So what should you do to protect your files from this kind of ransomware? Get
out in front of it.

"If any attack in the history of malware proves that you need protection in
place before the attack happens, encrypting ransomware is it," says Adam
Kujawa, Director of Malwarebytes Labs. "It's too late once you get infected.
Game over."

Ransomware prevention
The first step in ransomware prevention is to invest in awesome cybersecurity-a
 program with real-time protection that's designed to thwart advanced malware
attacks such as ransomware. You should also look out for for features that will
 both shield vulnerable programs from threats (an anti-exploit technology) as
well as block ransomware from holding files hostage. Customers who were using
Malwarebytes 3 Premium, for example, were protected from the WanaCrypt0r
attack.

Next, as much as it may pain you, you need to create secure backups of your
data on a regular basis. You can purchase USBs or an external hard drive where
you can save new or updated files-just be sure to physically disconnect the
devices from your computer after backing up, otherwise they can become infected
 with ransomware, too. Cloud storage is another option, but we recommend using
a server with high-level encryption and multiple-factor authentication.

Then, be sure your systems and software are updated. The most recent ransomware
 outbreak took advantage of a vulnerability in Microsoft software. While the
company had released a patch for the security loophole back in March, many
folks didn't install the update-which left them open to attack. We get that
it's hard to stay on top of an ever-growing list of updates from an
ever-growing list of software and applications used in your daily life. That's
why we recommend changing your settings to enable automatic updating.

Finally, stay informed. One of the most common ways that computers are infected
 with ransomware is through social engineering. Educate yourself on how to
detect phishing campaigns, suspicious websites, and other scams. And above all
else, exercise common sense. If it seems suspect, it probably is.


Regards,

Roger 
--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna - (1:3828/7)