Netgain

Ransomware attacks are real and they are on the rise – affecting organizations of every shape and size.

Ransomware, a malicious type of software, indiscriminately encrypts a company’s files, and the malware operators require payment of a ransom to provide the ability to decrypt the files. Ransomware can be installed by simply visiting a website that happens to have malicious advertisements. In nearly every case, decryption without paying the ransom is impossible which leaves the company only four options: Restore from backup, pay the ransom, recreate the files, or live without them.

Every year when spring arrives, people celebrate the end of winter and begin to emerge from their hibernation. It is during this season that summer preparations begin. Winter things are packed away, birds start building nests, and the deep greens of nature appear. Spring is a season of refreshing, whether a person, a bird, or nature. Though it is often not something we consider to be a part of spring-cleaning, an important aspect of our lives that needs to freshen up is our computing environment. Here we have provided a list of some critical items to put on your spring cleaning list. Doing so is a fantastic way to help you and your organization remain safe and secure.

Social Engineering is the psychological manipulation of people in an effort to have them perform actions or divulge confidential information, and it is a major security issue. For centuries, con artists have used this method to gather confidential information for criminal use. In the modern world, the con artist has additional tactics including the installation of malware.

The optimal method to assure your organization does not suffer due to a network attack is to prevent attacks from causing any damage. There are several ways to reduce the likelihood that attacks will impact your business, all with varying degrees of cost, difficulty, and effectiveness.

2015 was rife with widespread propagation of ransomware and 2016 will be much the same.

What is it?

Ransomware is different than most historical malware. Instead of hacking into a computer to acquire and sell sensitive data, ransomware encrypts the data so it is unusable until the user pays a ransom. The hacker doesn’t have to conspire, nor share the payoff, with anyone. CryptoLocker, a Russian, email borne malware, is the most notorious of known ransomware. It is estimated to have extorted more than $30 million.

First off, a little back story. If you don't know what CryptoLocker is, it is a very effective piece of malware. Specifically, it is a type of malware that holds your information for ransom. Once installed in a system, it will communicate with some website to acquire an encryption key. OpenDNS and Cisco Web Security, mentioned in my previous post, can help in blocking the malware's encryption key request. When this happens, the malware will still exist on the computer, but without the encryption key, it cannot encrypt anything.

For those of us that have seen The Wizard of Oz, the Internet is like the field of poppies. Good and bad websites cannot be identified simply by looking at them. So what do we do to avoid the malicious websites? Several services have been created to help people address this issue. This article highlights a few of the easier to use services that can help you add security to your home and office environment.

Executive Summary:

1.What is the difference?

To start this discussion, I feel it is important to draw the distinction between these two often interchanged words.

• Disaster Recovery is what happens after a disaster occurs to restore functionality.

This question has been brought to light in the wake of the celebrity photo scandal this week.