How to stop the CryptoLocker virus in 4 easy Steps

In 2013, a group of hackers created CryptoLocker virus: a malicious app that spread like wildfire, earning as much as $28 million for the criminals who made it.

Usually, this would be a fun but useless data security factoid. New viruses come out all the time – and are usually beaten as quickly as they get released.

This is not the case for CryptoLocker, which can literally take your files hostage and keep them locked until you buy them out. This app is a serious network security threat in 2016 – and here’s why.

1. Refusing to pay the ransom results in your files being irreversibly damaged or lost. In some cases, this happens despite people giving in to the hackers’ demands. This means that a computer infected by CryptoLocker can lose valuable, confidential or irreplaceable records forever – no matter what you do.
2. An infected device spreads the virus, increasing the number of network security threats online.
3. Australia’s new data breach notification bill means businesses and individuals must inform others when data is lost or compromised. Failure to do so results in a fine of $360,000-$1.8 million; not something you want to risk!

Considering these risks, the best way to beat I.T. security threats like CryptoLocker is by never getting them in the first place – and removing them fast if you get them.

We’ll tell you how to do both in this article – and the first thing step to doing it is…

How CryptoLocker Works

CryptoLocker isn’t just any virus.

It’s an example of Ransomware: a malicious application or piece of code that blocks a user’s access to their device until the hacker’s instructions are followed.

Ransomware is a rising threat in the world of I.T. security risks – and in the case of CryptoLocker, the virus’s instructions are to send money anonymously using bitcoin.

There is a time limit on each transfer demand – and the complexity of the codes generated by the program is such that cracking them before the timer runs out is effectively impossible, even for an I.T. security company.

This is all bad news – but there is a silver lining to this information.

See, CryptoLocker’s goal is to get money in exchange for returning your data. Its owners view the virus as a business – not a directly malicious network security threat app. They want your money OR your proverbial life… Not both.

After all, if word got out that most people don’t get their access back after paying the ransom, CryptoLocker’s business model would break down… Because the best I.T. security strategy for dealing with the virus would be to ignore it.

Which means that CryptoLocker rarely destroys your data outright. If it did so often, nobody would pay its creators. Users may lose some information – evidence is anecdotal – but this isn’t what’s supposed to happen.

Why CryptoLocker is Relevant in 2016

Once a virus’s code is isolated, it can be managed and removed. This is the job of I.T. security products and information security companies in the anti-virus niche.

In CryptoLocker’s case, its code was isolated as early as 2013. This means we’ve been able to uninstall it for years – but here are the 2 reasons this virus still causes so many I.T. security issues today:

1. Firstly, CryptoLocker is adept at entering stealth mode and avoiding detection. This lets it survive in a computer system for longer than other viruses do.
2. CryptoLocker blocks you from accessing your files – and if it is removed forcibly, it can damage data irreversibly.

These factors explains why even with the best security, computers are still suffering from this virus today. This sneaky piece of ransomware is just that great at hiding itself – which is unfortunate, considering…

What Happens When You Get Infected

When a user gets the virus, a countdown timer opens on their computer. It measures out 100 hours and displays the instructions you need to complete before the timer runs out.

The instructions are always simple: to send money to an untraceable, anonymous BitCoin e-currency wallet. The standard price for unlocking your device is $300.

This might seem like a high price – but considering the fact that businesses and certain private individuals have millions of data to protect, there’s no shortage of people ready to pay up.

After all, people pay millions of dollars for I.T. security audits and to I.T. security consultants – so it makes sense they would also pay for a hacker to unlock their computer.

The limited amount of time users get to pay up only adds to their feeling of fear, giving people an excuse to take the easy way out and pay the ransom instead of getting help from a computer security system expert.

Protecting Yourself

Most computers infected with CryptoLocker got the virus after users opened infected e-mail attachment.

Usually, these e-mails get caught by computer security systems and spam filters – but with the virus’s ability to create up to 1,000 new domains per day, some messages to get through to their recipients.

When the attachments in them are opened, the virus is activated – and it starts encrypting all your data to lock you out of your computer for good.

This is why the first thing you should do is avoid suspicious e-mails. Always double-check that you trust an e-mail’s sender, subject line and contents before opening anything attached to it. If anything seems off – get help.

The second line of defense is having an up-to-date operating system and antivirus. Most modern antiviruses get the job done so long as they’re up to date. I.T. security compliance is important; make sure to practice it in your business!

Third, always always always back up your information. Anything can happen, whether it’s a virus or a power outage – and it simply makes sense to protect yourself by saving your data regularly.

The fourth and final thing you can do to protect yourself from CryptoLocker and the other viruses out there is reading blogs like this one.

Viruses and the I.T. services that fight them change all the time and the best self-defense is staying updated on the threats they pose.

Are you confident that your network is sufficiently protected from viruses like CryptoLocker? Do you have further questions – or a desire to protect your home or business from ransomware?

If so, please call us today at 1300 530 609 to see what Sydney’s preferred I.T. consulting & support service can do for you!

This article first appeared at Why Cryptolocker is relevant in 2016

Protect Your Work - Lock Your Computer

What happens when you leave personal or sensitive information in easy access on your PC? This article gives a story-like introduction to the consequences of an unprotected computer and how you can use an account password to easily solve that problem.

Anyone who has put in many hours, or at times even weeks of effort into work, may know what its like to lose a part of that work, but the worst thing you can do is to be the cause of your own loss. When you leave your computer, lets say for a bathroom break, an emergency meeting, or even to discuss something away from your machine, it may be natural to just walk away and do what you have to do, but I know from experience that this is a habit you should engrave into your computer work ethic just the same as being polite to the CEO of your organization. Allow me to go deeper, it will make more sense by example:

A few years ago, I took a course called 'Drafting/Design Tech I'. This was a basic CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) class where we learned how to use the software and along the way, the concepts of good CAD-work, understanding of views, and being able to draw anything we saw in any variation. It was a good experience. One of the few things my instructor told the class immediately after explaining how to log in with our user accounts was to lock our computers.

"Hold down the 'windows' button, and push 'L'. This will lock your computer and protect your work."

Now why would you want protection? Look at condoms and you'll see why...Okay, so you won't get AID's if you don't lock your computer, but those of us who didn't heed the advice of my instructor learned the hard way to lock it up. By good nature, lots of us used to love to walk over to each other's workstations and talk, hang out, and mess around. By the time we came back, one of several things generally happened to our computers:

1. Our directories were cleared out of any and all work we had in them (hours, or rather weeks of hours, of racking your head over something has just gone down the drain), or

2. Our current drawing file was modified (i.e. a few lines being offset, stretched and skewed, thereby throwing off all dimensions, which is especially bad when being graded on dimensions. Even worse is when somebody scales your entire project, so when you actually build a model of your project, instead of a 1/8 scale between the model and full-size, you have a 19/128ths scale. Firsthand experience sucks.)

3. All of our file names were mixed and mismatched, so when we sat down to work, we faced the unique issue of figuring out each time which of the twenty files is which. Lots of fun when you have an upcoming deadline.

4. Any other creative mischief (i.e. turning the screen by 90 degrees, making windows look retro, or even hiding parts of our drawings so they appear deleted and we appear to be redoing it when we come back)

Besides an annoyance ranging from mild all the way up to a promise of an a$s-kicking after class, locking your computer is important for security. From my experience with multiple private networks, leaving your console unattended while in full access can cause many problems for you and the network. One of your peers with lesser access rights may decide to play a joke on another and it doesn't turn out funny to the one it was being played on. He reports it to his boss. If the 'joke' was in any way decided as unacceptable by the boss, guess which two guys lose their jobs? Or even better if there is a visitor from somewhere and suddenly he has access to all of the top-secret files which are sworn by all employees to only stay on facility? Let me express it in one word: espionage. A car just doesn't sell as well when every other major car-maker sells exact knock-offs of it because some idiot in your business left the designs and assembly plans in easy access.



Windows Button + L

OR

Alt+Ctrl+Delete , then 'k'

For this to work, you must have a password set on your account. If your account is not password-protected, here is how to make it so:

(All instructions assume that the user has full administrative access rights)


For Windows XP:
1) Click on the 'Start' menu
2) Click on 'Control Panel'
3) Double-Click on 'User Accounts'
4) Click on your user account name
5) Click on 'Create a Password'
6) Follow the on-screen instructions

Source: Protect Your Work - Lock Your Computer