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Hackers held two school districts on Long Island hostage
over the summer, forcing one of them to pay $88,000 in cryptocurrency in order
retrieve student and staff information before the school year started.
Despite using an anti-virus software and other firewalls for cyber security, the School District’s encrypted files were accessed this summer by Ryuk ransomware, which can infiltrate an entire server with one click of a malicious email attachment. The virus encrypts data, essentially locking users out of access to their files, and hackers are blackmailing schools until payment is made, usually in bitcoin, through school insurance to unlock the system’s server.
The Mineola School District was also attacked by the same
virus. But they didn’t have to pay because they had a backup that wasn’t
compromised.
What are some tips to avoid having to pay the ransomware
The nefarious ransomware business model has turned out to be a lucrative industry for criminals. Over the years its ill repute has made law enforcement team up with international agencies to identify and bring down scam operators.
Most of the ransomware attacks that have taken place in the past have been linked to poor protection practices by employees and businesses. There are ways to prepare and steps you can take to avoid the nuances these hackers are causing.
Here are a few dos and don’ts when it comes to ransomware.
- 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 be able to regain access to your files.
- 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.
- Do not provide personal information when answering an email, unsolicited phone call, text message or instant message. 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 coworkers receive suspicious calls or emails.
- Use reputable antivirus 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- If traveling, alert your IT department beforehand, especially if you’re going to be using public wireless Internet. Make sure you use a trustworthy Virtual Private Network (VPN) when accessing public Wi-Fi like Norton Secure VPN.
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. South Jersey Techies coupled with education about these threats is an excellent protection plan for today’s cyber landscape.