The Crypto virus pandemic is still going strong! This particular virus comes in many different forms and flavors. However, the result is almost always the same: your data being held hostage for ransom.  There are multiple ways of acquiring this virus, the most popular being through emails! These cyber terrorists are very creative and savvy trying to disguise their email so you will open it (i.e., subject line of “Your UPS tracking number”) or “Hello, here is my resume.” Do NOT open them! As a good “rule of thumb” you should never open anything unexpected or suspicious attachments with .EXE or .ZIP file extensions. These are executable files that once opened, run wild and perform their function. That function is rarely a good thing.

The GOOD news: There are firewall devices out there to help stop these viruses from entering and infecting your entire network. The firewalls must have a specific function included in them so ask your IT staff if your firewall has DPI/SSL.

The BAD News: Once your machine is infected, there is very little that can be done.  Make sure you have a good reliable off-site backup in place because once these files are encrypted, recovering from backup is the only recourse for you/your IT staff. Yes, you could try to pay the ransom, but who can trust a terrorist to follow through with their side of the deal!

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