VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Mike Harrison]

RANSOMWARE: The Hack Attack That Takes Your Computer Hostage Until You Pay

(this appeared as a post in a different thread, but I felt it needed its own)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/ransomware-hack-attacks-holding-data-hostage-avoid

I've configured my email client (Apple Mail) to never automatically download new messages. I always see what's on the server first. Anything from an odd or unverifiable address is deleted. Even in my very limited social media forays, I click NOTHING. So, yes; I remain a virtual wallflower... but I value my safety and privacy more.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Bish]

I really do not like the way that the mainstream media (and I include PBS in there) finds this stuff and makes a fuss with out-dated "be afraid" pieces when it's something that's been around for a long while... and for the most part gone away (or been negated). This ransomware scare caught a few people last year, but is pretty much dead now. The moral here?

1) If you run an unprotected PC on the internet without practicing safe keystroking, you will get a nasty rash or something worse. Even if you do, the chances are you will still get something nasty.
2) If you don't back-up your data at least daily, you are being naive and reckless.
3) Keep a bootable recovery device or media... not just your data.
4) Test-run a "nuke & pave" just so you know how to do it when you have to.
5) Password protect your PC. Even if you practice safe-keyboarding, do you have kids/spouse in the house? "Oh... I just wanted to get a..." can lead to disaster.
6) If it's on mainstream media... it's too late. Keep up to date via tech news digests and the like.

Let's be careful out there...
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Deirdre]

Backups, maybe? Like we should all be doing anyway?
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Lee Gordon]

[glittlefield]

This stuff is very real and I've dealt with it in a business environment where every computer had updated AV software and the whole nine yards. This is the first round of hysteria where I've actually said, "Yes, it's a bastard. Be afraid and vigilant". Every time we figure out how to unlock this stuff, they (the baddies) come up with a new method of encryption. Last I checked, Cryptowall was up to its third life earlier this year.

Here's how the one person in that office got it: They ended up on a compromised web site and a pop-up opened up that said "In order to view the content, you must have the latest version of Java installed. Click OK to update Java." Normally, that's innocuous enough that folks sleepily agree to have their Java updated. As this person did.

Besides having daily server backups, luck was on their side due to a few factors:

1. it was the end of the day and the user logged out of their machine after about 20 minutes of infection.
2. With their profile logged off, the virus stopped working.
3. It had only managed to get through and encrypt less than 5% of the server data that sat on mapped drives and did not hit the major as they use every day. Mostly archived files and such.

They now backup every six hours because some folks lost a whole day's work. MUCH better than it could have been, but it still sucks.

After restoring the backups, the user's machine had to be formatted and reloaded from scratch.

The two factors of this episode were: 1. the user let it in despite being armed, and 2. it only affected mapped network drives. (and the local machine).

As I tell folks, you can have the most sophisticated security alarm system installed on your home, but if you unlock the door and open it for anyone who knocks, it's all useless.

Now, on my Mac, I use Time Machine and it happily whirrs away backing up the machine throughout the day. Is this good enough? Is there another program I should probably look at?
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Greg Littlefield
VO-BB Member #59