Alert, but not Alarmed

We are all on the front lines in the fight against cybercrime, both at work and at home.

It's increasingly common for criminals to lock either your work or personal files, then demand a ransom payment in return for unlocking them.

This is called a ransomware attack and there are some very easy steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

What are the signs of a Ransomware attack?

• Dodgy Emails - Criminals usually try to put Ransomware onto your computer through illegitimate websites, or infected attachments. Be very wary of emails from people you don’t know or didn’t expect, particularly if they contain links to other websites or attachments.

  If you've recently received an email from someone you don't know, or that didn’t look quite right and have already opened the link or attachment, be alert.

• File names - If your file names, or the three letters after them (example.txt) are changing, this could be a sign your files are being locked

• Cant access files - If you are unable to access files this could be a sign they have been locked

• Ransomware Notice - Once a certain number of files are locked, the criminal will display a notice, usually asking for urgent payment, and usually asking for an online currency such as bitcoins.

What should I do if I notice the signs?

• Immediately power off - Once the computer is completely powered off, no more files can be locked, and the ransomware cannot spread to other computers in your home or office

• Remove any network cables - To ensure the ransomware cannot spread once the computer powers on again, remove any network cables. For WIFI laptops, switch any physical WIFI buttons to the off position.

• Contact support - In the workplace, the IT department should be made immediately aware. At home, you will need to contact whoever does your IT support. You may want to call a professional.

• Don't Pay - If you do pay the ransom, you are relying on the criminal's good nature to unlock the files, which is unlikely to happen. Even if it does, you will then be marked as someone willing to pay ransoms and be targeted again in the future.

Is there anything I can do to reduce the risk of this happening to me?

Absolutely, in many cases, these are done for you by the IT team, but at home, you will need to do them yourself:

• Install Patches - Your operating system and any programs you have installed will often need updating or patching. These are very important, as it is the manufacturer fixing problems that criminals may exploit. You should make sure all of your software is regularly patched, and allow the patches to install as soon as possible.

• Anti-Virus - Ensure you have Anti-Virus software installed and running, and that it is up to date

• Backups - While these won’t protect you from getting ransomware, they will make it very easy to recover your locked files without paying a ransom. Where ever possible backups should be stored separately, so criminals cannot erase them if they do gain access to your computer.

• Block Macros - Microsoft Office Macros are a very common way for criminals to gain access to your computer. Having these switched off by default helps protect you against this form of attack

• Administration Privileges - Accounts with administrative privileges can install and run applications (and ransomware). While it's inconvenient to have to switch to a different account each time you want to install new software, it can protect you from a criminal installing ransomware in the background while you are unaware.

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