570.235.1946

help@nepageeks.com
152 N. Pennsylvania Ave.

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
In-Shop Hours Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM

Weekends Emergency Support Only

ransomware Tag

28 Aug

Posted at 10:17h in Blog Post
0 Likes

You’ve likely seen news coverage of ransomware targeting large companies or hospitals. Maybe you’ve seen Homeland when Claire Danes’ character falls victim to laptop ransomware during a surveillance mission. But did you know that ransomware attackers can also target your smartphone? A smartphone, after all, is a portable computer in your palm. Take a moment to imagine being locked out of your own phone. The hackers could gain access to your saved passwords and emails. You could lose access to your contacts, notes, and images, and even your three years’ worth of effort on Candy Crush. What You Need to Know About Smartphone Ransomware Also known as mobile ransomware, these attacks infect your smartphone. Instead of stealing the actual device, the bad actors take it hostage. They typically encrypt your data and make it so you can’t do anything. It may not be as widely publicized, but there’s already a long list of smartphone ransomware programs. The list continues to grow with examples such as ScarePackage, LeakerLocker, and LockerPin. ScarePackage can infect more than 900,000 phones in a single month. And before you think, “That won’t happen on my iPhone,” know that no smartphone manufacturer is secure. The type of ransomware may vary due to the different operating systems, but you can be at risk on both Android and an iPhone. Unlike other malware, the hackers usually want you to know they’ve gained control. Typically, they will notify you on your lock screen or home screen. You’ll often see a list of demands and a deadline to comply. That said, some mobile ransomware stealthily steals your data. What To Do About Mobile Ransomware The first thing to do? Be cautious. Keep these best practices in mind always: Regularly update your device's operating system and applications to patch any security vulnerabilities. Exercise caution when downloading or installing apps from untrusted sources. Avoid clicking on suspicious links or opening email attachments from unknown senders. Enable app and system updates to ensure you have the latest security patches. If you become a ransomware victim, try to disconnect your device from the internet. Turning off Wi-Fi and mobile data limits communication with the attacker’s server. Avoid paying the ransom. It’s tempting but not recommended. You are counting on hackers to keep their word and provide the encryption key. You can find decryption tools online for less complex ransomware. If the ransomware came from a malicious app, immediately delete that app if you can. What you can do will depend on the specific ransomware variety. In general, it's best to seek professional help. Work with an IT expert who can remove ransomware without further compromising your device. We can also help you restore clean, unaffected backups. Contact us today at 570-235-1946 or by filling out a contact form....

05 Jun

Posted at 12:02h in Blog Post
0 Likes

WannaCry Ransomware Explained: Is Your Business At Risk? You’d be hard-pressed to miss May’s biggest headline, the WannaCry cyber-attack sent shockwaves around the globe. Businesses of all sizes and even police departments found themselves under attack without warning. Among the most prominent victims were many NHS hospitals in the UK, affecting up to 70,000 individual devices such as essential MRI scanners and blood-storage refrigerators. But by the time it hit the news, either your system was protected, or it was infected. Here’s how it all went so wrong. What is WannaCry? The WannaCry cyber-attack was a type of malware called ‘ransomware’. Just like the name suggests, it’s actually a demand for money. Like all ransomware attacks, WannaCry encrypts your files and holds them hostage until you pay. In this case, the price was set at $300, payable with internet currency Bitcoin, and you had 3 days to pay before it doubled. If you didn’t pay, the ransomware threatened to delete your files permanently. It’s yet unknown how much money the WannaCry hackers have earned with their latest attack, but you can be sure plenty of people have paid the ransom. Even the FBI recommends paying the ransom, especially if the ransomed files are of a sensitive nature or weren’t backed up. How It Spread So Fast It seems WannaCry may be a ‘computer worm’ that self-replicates and spreads, rather than a phishing attack that needs to be activated with a click. So far, no common trigger has been identified, as is normally the case with phishing links. WannaCry moved rapidly from system to system, spreading out through the entire network, including all connected backups and storage devices. At the same time, it spread out to infect other networks, who then spread it further, and so on. Given the nature of the internet, it was everywhere within hours. Why Some Businesses Were Safe WannaCry could ONLY infect systems that have fallen 2 months behind in their Windows updates. It was created to take advantage of a specific vulnerability in Windows, one which Microsoft patched months ago. Without that patch, the ransomware could waltz right past the firewall, past the anti-virus and directly into the system (the NHS were reportedly running Windows XP – no longer supported). Those running Windows 10 or a fully patched, recent version of Windows were completely unaffected. It just goes to show the importance of staying up to date. We haven’t seen a second spike in WannaCry attacks yet, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be one. A quick update could protect your business from weeks of downtime and lost revenue, making attacks like this a non-issue. With our managed services, we can make sure you stay up to date – and protected. Give us a call today at 570.235.1946 or visit our Contact Page...

23 Jan

Posted at 09:00h in Blog Post
0 Likes

Will That Click Cost You Thousands? Just one click can cost thousands. Ransomware has undeniably been the biggest security threat of 2016. No-one was safe. Hackers targeted everyone and everything, including home PCs, earning themselves upwards of $846million from US reported incidents alone. Business is booming for hackers, with thousands of attacks each day bringing in an average of $640 per target. More alarmingly, the financial cost of each individual attack is on the rise. The more ransomware proves to be an easy earner for them, the more they demand each time. For a quick payday, some hackers offer to ‘rescue’ you from immediate danger – for a fee. One method is to trick you into thinking you have a virus that will spread if you don’t pay money to remove it immediately. Another much scarier method is to pretend to be the FBI and say your computer was involved in a crime (anything from money laundering to child pornography) and you can avoid going to prison by paying a few hundred dollars. Thousands of regular people are also waking up every day to discover they’ve been locked out of their own files. Entire music and video libraries, digital photos from the past 5 years, personal budget files and even their secret novel draft …all held hostage until the user pays a ransom. The encryption is so strong and unbreakable that paying the ransom often becomes the only solution. Ways Ransomware Gets Into PCs The way ransomware gets onto your computer is deviously simple. Generally, the hackers convince you to click an email attachment/link or pop-up. With both approaches, the hacker usually offers helpful information, for example: Tracking an unclaimed parcel Alerting that a virus was found and needs to be removed Advising details of a recent traffic fine It’s so tempting to click through for more details and that’s what the hackers count on. Their messages and pop-ups aren’t obvious threats and so slip easily under our radar. Unfortunately, they’re not the most trustworthy bunch so paying may not actually unlock your files, and one payment can quickly become several. To make matters worse, they can encrypt any backups connected to your computer too, like a USB drive. Having a backup is super important in any situation, but in cases like this, the right backup is needed. Not only one stored separate from your network, but one created recently with all the files you can’t bear to lose. Before restoring your backup, however, you’ll need to make sure the malware isn’t lurking in the background, ready to not just re-infect your restored files but also the backup drive itself. To avoid finding yourself up to the waist in ransom demands or sending hackers money each month, we recommend being wary of email attachments, even from friends and family. If you’re not sure what the file is, don’t click it. They may not have sent that email intentionally; their infected system may be auto-emailing everyone in the address book. You should also be careful with any popups that appear out of place, especially ones that try to make you panic. If it doesn’t sound right or look right, don’t click it. Ransomware is just too dangerous to risk. Call us at 570.235.1946 or visit our Contact Page...

24 Oct

Posted at 16:50h in Blog Post
0 Likes

More and more businesses and organizations are getting stung by ransomware attacks. Hospitals, schools, social networks…some days it seems like an epidemic that leaps around arbitrarily, and hackers are raking in millions. Losses in the Billions Ransomware attacks are devious in their simplicity. A user in the target business is tricked into opening a file, usually through a phishing email or download. The file contains malware which instantly encrypts your data and demands money in exchange for the password. Cost of Not Backing Up All of the target businesses should have backups, which they could simply revert to without paying any money. However, the FBI reports more than $209 million was sent to hackers in the first quarter of this year alone. Keep in mind, this was just payments within the US, and only counts those who came forward. Last year it was only $25million. Do Backups Help? Sometimes the backup solution fails and the data can’t be retrieved. This is particularly true in cases where the solution has been in use for years and something failed along the way. In other instances, the target business has a backup that can be restored, but it doesn’t include everything they need for full recovery. Finally, and the most common reason so many businesses are forced to pay the ransom: the ransomware attack affects the entire system. If the backup is also caught in the ransomware encryption, it becomes useless as a recovery method and the only options are to pay or lose the data forever. Each day spent trying to recover the data drains valuable business resources and in many cases, results in massive revenue loss. The only defense is to block the malware before it can infect the first workstation. Then, continue the protection with a comprehensive backup strategy for all workstations and servers. Want protection from ransomware attacks? Call us at 570-235-1946 or visit our Contact Page...