Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM SUMMER 2019 | Page 30

TECH RACHELLE GRIFFIN OneSource [email protected] www.onesource.tech What is RANSOMWARE? R ansomware is a malicious software that uses encryption to lock up your files and hold them for ransom. This criminal activity has been aggressively successful. They camouflage their software in hopes the user will allow it in. The purpose is to take payments for the ransom with promises of unencrypting the data. There has been many that paid the ransom only to find out that all their data was not accessible. The criminals do this in hopes that you contact them again to pay more. Important note: There is no guarantee that they will ever release all your data, even if they do, the software is still installed in the computer which will allow them to attack again. Ransomware is spread by phishing emails and drive-by downloading. Phishing emails for example can be an email could look like it is from Fed- Ex notifying you of a package that has been shipped. (When you know that you don’t have a package coming or haven’t signed up for emails from Fed-Ex for notifications. Drive-by downloading occurs when the users unknowingly visit an infected website. Once the software is installed on the computer it can reach the server of a business and affect all of the company’s files. These criminals will provide you with a phone number to call them directly (how thoughtful). If you call the number they will tell you how much the ransom will be and tell you once it is paid they will unencrypt your files, but that almost never happens. They will release some files and demand more money for the rest, and it is still not guaranteed you will get all of your files. Some do’s and don’ts about Ransomware 1. Do not pay the ransom. It only encourages and funds these attackers. Even if the ransom is paid there is no guarantee that you will regain access to your files. 2. Restore any impacted files from a known good backup. Restoration of your files from a backup is the fastest way to regain access to your data. 3. Do not provide personal information when answering an email, unsolicited phone call, text message or instant message. 28 MOMENTUM Phishers will try to trick employees into installing malware, or gain intelligence for attacks by claiming to be from IT. Be sure to contact your IT department if you or your co-workers receive suspicious calls. 4. Use reputable anti-virus software and a firewall. Maintaining a strong firewall and keeping your security software up to date are critical. It’s important to use antivirus software from a reputable company because of all the fake software out there. 5. Do employ content scanning and filtering on your mail servers. Inbound e-mails should be scanned for known threats and should block any attachment types that could pose a threat. 6. Do make sure that all systems and software are up to date with relevant patches. Exploit kits hosted on compromised websites are commonly used to spread malware. Regular patching of vulnerable software is necessary to help prevent infection. 7. If traveling, alert your IT department beforehand, especially if you’re going to using public wireless internet. Make sure you have a trustworthy Virtual Private Network (VPN) when accessing public Wi-Fi. Ransomware criminals often attack small and medium sized businesses. Among other cyber-attacks, ransomware is one criminal activity that can be easily worked around with the above-mentioned solutions.