Ransomware/Crypto/Locky

There’s a trend we are seeing with malware called ransomware and it is on the rise.  What ransomware essentially does is hold your data hostage in encrypted form or locks you out of your computer until you pay the attacker.  There is no guarantee that the attacker is reachable or whether they’ll truly release the data after being paid.

Experts and Law Enforcement, including the FBI, recommend that you DO NOT PAY THE ATTACKER.

DataCorps implements several measures to protect our clients.  They include:

  • Barracuda E-mail Scanning for those using our Hosted Exchange services as well as clients who are hosting their own e-mail
  • Sophos Web Content Filtering for those with Sophos Firewalls as well as users on our Virtual Server platform
  • Desktop Anti-Virus & Anti-Malware software for clients on our Total Desktop Care program
  • Regular system backups (and monitored backups for those clients who subscribe to the service with us)

This type of threat is not limited to business systems, your home systems are susceptible as well.  Here are some steps you can take to protect your valuable data:

  • Keep an up-to-date anti-virus program
  • Use a web content filter such as Sophos Cloud (free for home use) - www.datacorps.com/sophos
  • Do not open up any spam e-mail messages, always delete them.  If in doubt, delete it.
  • Avoid free and public Wi-Fi hotspots at all cost
  • Ensure your internet firewall is running at all times
  • Backup data regularly (once files are locked, they are lost permanently)
  • Keep all software up to date.  This includes Windows, OSX, Java, Flash, Adobe, etc.
  • Never open suspicious links within e-mail messages
  • Never open shortened hyperlinks unless you are expecting it and it comes from a trusted source.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.  Our goal is to educate and equip so you can recognize a threat and do everything reasonable to avoid it.

Thank you for your time.  We are sorry to be a bother about security issues but anti-virus software and spam filters are simply not enough these days, it also takes educating our clients to protect them and keep their data secure.

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