Expert ADVICE
Preventing Ransomware Attacks
Leonard Pascual A Sound Look 502 Cerrillos Rd. 505.983.5509 ASoundLook.com
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ansomware attacks—where online extortionists encrypt data on a victim’s computer and then demand a fee for unlocking it—started off mainly as a consumer problem, but increasingly are hitting businesses and government entities as well. Malware is prevalent throughout the computer industry; no one is safe from this problem. Preparedness is the key before it is too late. These words are somewhat a doomsday statement, but ransomware attacks are now a daily occurrence. Working with your computer specialists to protect your hardware and software will help mitigate potential problems in the future. Have you received an email from a personal friend or colleague asking for help because they lost everything and are stranded in a foreign country? Have you opened an email that was from a friend with an attachment to look at a picture or YouTube video clip? You probably receive
numerous emails every day from old and new colleagues. How do you know which emails are malicious? Even big businesses suffers from these attacks. The company Ashley Madison suffered an attack that not only affected the company but its clients as well. The company was asked to stop business and the clients were blackmailed. Similarly, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center could not enter their data network system. The hospital was held ransom for $17,000 in Bitcoin, and eventually paid to get access to their system. We can offer some initial steps to protect yourself from this type of malware attack: • Backup: Make sure you are constantly backing up files. Cloud services are available for storage in case an attack happens to you. • Authenticate Emails: Make sure your email server scans and segregates all questionable email. Consider checking the source, even
if it is a friend, before opening. Check attachments as well. • Scan Emails: Look for tools that will check your outgoing, incoming and stored emails. • Ad Blocking: Consider procedures with your IT specialist to restrict and prevent access to questionable websites. • Software Upgrades: Microsoft, Apple and other software companies push upgrades every day. The upgrades not only fix problems with their software, but also close security leaks that malware can enter. • Education: The need to be aware of this problem and consider what you are opening is crucial to prevent this from happening to you. This is a simplified version of how to protect yourself and your files from malware. A Sound Look and its partners can assist in getting you the proper solution. Contact us at 505.983.5509 for further information.