We’ve seen a recent surge in clients getting hit by the CryptoWall and Locky ransomware with most being infected when opening attachments from infected email messages. Generally, these emails are about a resume, scanned file or other unknown files and is executed when opening the attachment.
Here is what you need to know and what to do.
What is ransomware?
Ransomware is malicious software used by cyber criminals to encrypt and scramble all your files. Once infected, it displays a message through a text file a pop-up window, webpage, or email telling you that your device or files have been locked and you have to pay before you can access them again.
There is currently no guaranteed method to decrypt affected files making it even more important to avoid suspicious emails.
What do I need to to?
- Beware of suspicious email. Do not open suspicious web links and attachments, especially compressed files (.zip,.7zip) or executable files (.exe).
- If you receive an email from an unknown source and it has an attachment, it is very likely to be malware, delete it.
- Don’t forward the malware to anyone to find out what it is. Log a ticket with IT Support to get advice if you are unsure.
- Make sure you are saving your data on a location you are sure is backed up.
More Information
For more information, you can use the below article which gives a good overview of the mechanics of how the simple act of clicking the wrong attachment file can bring havoc to your computer and network.
