I don’t want to sound alarmist, but I have a responsibility to you and your data safety.
There is a new and dangerous outbreak of computer virus going around. I ask that you continue to be extra vigilant so that your data and files are not affected. Not only would data on your computer be affected, but data on any “shares” would also be affected.
Ransomware, has been around for a while. Most of what I’ve seen is accompanied by an FBI warning. The screen indicates that you are infected, or that you’ve been logged in participation of some illegal activity. Further, you are prompted to submit a sum of money to get yourself out of the situation, hence the name, ransomware. This particular threat takes the idea further. It encrypts your files so that they are inaccessible until you pay the sum, at which time the software will decrypt your files and return them to you. The consensus of opinion in the field is that, barring being able to restore a usable recent backup, there is no way of recovering your data without paying the ransom.
Remember this: the most common method of infection is by way of the computer user.
The best preventative method is user education. Here are the best tips to avoid infection:
1) Please make sure that “Hide extensions for known file types” is disabled in Windows Explorer on your computer. Instructions are below. I’ve posted here on that topic before!
2) Please do NOT open email attachments with the file extension “ZIP” or “EXE”, most importantly. Other file extensions, including PDF can contain threats. Know the sender and if in doubt ask for assistance.
3) Be aware that people try to trick you into thinking files are safe by trying to hide the extension. For example: filename.pdf.zip is a ZIP file and immediately suspect and dangerous. (This is especially dangerous if “Hide extensions for known file types” is enabled because the previous example would appear as a pdf: “filename.pdf” – note: the hidden extension is “.zip”)
4) Please be suspect of PDF files you receive by email. If you don’t know the sender, ignore it. If it looks suspect or something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. I see many fictitious emails sent from “Administrator”, or even my own email address or domain, with subject lines such as “invoice attached”, “Payroll reports”, “purchase order” – all sorts of ways to trick you into thinking the attachment is not only legitimate, but important. BEWARE!
5) Install all updates – to Windows, to Adobe Acrobat, to your anti-virus application.
6) Back up, back up, back up – back up your files!!
How to disable “Hide extensions for known file types”
Windows XP users: Double click on My Computer. Choose the Tools menu, then Folder Options. Click on the View tab, and in the box labeled Advanced settings, scroll down until you see “Hide extensions for known file types” and make sure that there is no check in the check box. Lastly, click OK.
Windows 7 users: Click the Start button, then Computer. Press Alt + T on your keyboard then click Folder Options. Click on the View tab, and in the box labeled Advanced settings, scroll down until you see “Hide extensions for known file types” and make sure that there is no check in the check box. Lastly, click OK.