Wednesday, November 06, 2013

PLEASE be careful what you click

Ransomware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware_(malware)

You click on something on the internet.
Software downloads to your system, encrypts all your files, and demands a ransom to unlock it, usually with a countdown timer that destroys all your info if you don't pay up.

The alert sent by the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team says it all:
https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA13-309A

If you do have a backup drive, disconnect it if you are not actively backing up since everything connected to the infected machine is also encrypted and held for ransom.

While this current issue is directed at Windows systems, it is likely to spread to other platforms as well, so please:  practice safe internet'ing!

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