Ransomware attack, fairly widespread

[NFG]

Affecting a lot of NHS IT systems & hopefully not yours...

 

You may like to look at the foolishit.com website which has a little utility called cryptoprevent which does work.

 

Consider installing the add on 'No Script' to your browser, it provides very good defence from script attacks

 

Delete email with attachments if you dont know where they are from, they will re-send if its really important!

 

Keep an independant backup of your system on a drive that is disconnected from your computer.

 

Keep your AV updated - Sophos Home is free and rather good

 

Take care

 

N

[Gary Prentice]

Do you know if this attack spread through JS (javascript?) attachments?

 

I had a couple of emails friday, that went straight into my junk folder from a contact at geosyn, one was regarding an invoice (I haven't bought anything nor sent them one) and the other suggesting I open something for information.

 

I wasn't expecting anything, so binned them both.

 

I downloaded Cryptoprevent, at home, and it's run all weekend without any noticable problems

[Taupotreeman]

I got the same on Friday. Zip file for a payment. My antivirus dumped it immediately but it got through Apple's defences. Fortunately, I didn't open it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[Gary Prentice]

I got the same on Friday. Zip file for a payment. My antivirus dumped it immediately but it got through Apple's defences. Fortunately, I didn't open it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

 

At work, we are seeing an increase in these, emails from clients and others that we've had email correspondence with over the years. Most have odd file names and not quite right senders addresses.

 

I think that because email is such an everyday method of communication that everyone uses, there's a lot of users that don't even consider the risks involved and just get click happy in front of the screen. Really need to be constantly vigilent and attentive to what you are doing.

 

My email got hacked a while back, so I upgraded the security a lot. It isn't too difficult, but I can't convince the others on our network to do theirs - mainly due to their lack of computer savvy-ness:sneaky2:

 

My wife lost a flash drive last week, it only contained a years worth of accounts for work! We'd been talking, or rather I'd been talking, about changing our cloud storage set-up previously but she just wasn't for it. She's had the drive for several years, it had never corrupted and she kept it safely:lol: so that was the best way for her

 

It takes time and effort to keep up with the technology and to get a system that works for you, but most people just keep on using what they are used to and don't want to change - until something goes wrong!

[richy_B]

I am only a small business but get 3 or 4 of these a day and have for years. Usually unpaid invoice, bill, utility, etc and please open the attached .pdf or .doc . My email must have got onto some spam list somewhere.

 

It's hard because I've had emails like this from known contacts. It's only the wording that has made me think this isn't right and not open it. It seems they can make an email address look like someone else's. I assume they infiltrate someone's email account them email everyone on it with the virus email.

 

It's easy to forget by back up, back up, back up. Every Sunday evening I copy all company files onto a flash drive and an external hdd. Only takes a few mins to set it running - you just have to remember to do it regularly.

[Arborist]

I am only a small business but get 3 or 4 of these a day and have for years. Usually unpaid invoice, bill, utility, etc and please open the attached .pdf or .doc . My email must have got onto some spam list somewhere.

 

It's hard because I've had emails like this from known contacts. It's only the wording that has made me think this isn't right and not open it. It seems they can make an email address look like someone else's. I assume they infiltrate someone's email account them email everyone on it with the virus email.

 

It's easy to forget by back up, back up, back up. Every Sunday evening I copy all company files onto a flash drive and an external hdd. Only takes a few mins to set it running - you just have to remember to do it regularly.

 

How do you back all your files up? At the moment I copy and paste onto a flash drive.

[richy_B]

I just 'copy and paste' my 'documents' folder to the external drives. It should contain outlook files as well so you can restore these. Could be a large transfer (mine is about 25GB currently) but you can just set it in motion and leave it. Might be a better way of doing it but seems to have worked for me so far.

 

Buy a couple of 64GB flash drives and you should be ok.

[Gary Prentice]

Ive just started to use Onedrive, which allows me to access evrything (that I put in it) from home or anywhere else I can get an internet connection.

 

As files in the drive are stored 'away' from the physical computer, can anyone comment on their security as a back up/recovery/storage system.