The latest trend in malware is what the industry calls “Ransomware”, and while not really new, it is becoming quite popular. We’ve encountered a few of these infections on client computers already and the industry is warning that these types of threats will continue to grow.
So what exactly is a “ransomware” infection? As the name infers, this type of infection holds either access to your computer or your data for ransom until you pay. The most common infection so far has involved the computer being locked down with a window impersonating a warning from the FBI displaying a threatening message and blocks the user from doing anything else unless you pay the fine or find a way to remove the program. The other type of infection will actually encrypt your personal data such as your documents photos, music, etc. For these infections, there is NO way to remove the infection or recover your data without paying or restoring from a backup.
These attacks are incredibly sophisticated and are generally delivered to victims computers by a “drive-by” download. All it takes is a visit to a compromised web page and the malware is installed onto your computer without any interaction on your part.
It is incredibly important that you have updated security software on your computer and keep all of your applications and operating systems up to date with the latest security patches as well as ensuring you regularly backup your data. We also recommend a layered approach to securing your network through the use of additional security appliances and services to help reduce the chance of these infections slipping through.
Additional information on these attacks can be found here:
Latest ‘ransomware’ attacks are scarily sophisticated
Inside a ‘Reveton’ Ransomware Operation
Don’t fall victim to these attacks – contact us today to help secure your computer systems.
