PSA: Fun Trends in Computer Viruses: Ransomware!

I care deeply about each and every one of my readers and to show my love and affection for you, I always want you to stay safe.

In that spirit, I share with you what our Chief Information Officer shared with us this week.

Over the past two weeks, 3 nefarious and increasingly virulent approaches to holding your computer data hostage, with requests for up to $300 to get it back have become.  Since this could impact not only your professional data but your personal data as well, please read through this note, including the 4 bullets under “details,” and (since not everyone reads every e-mail) please mention it to your team mates.  This is of high importance for everyone to know.

Bottom Line On Top: 
Whenever you use any computer (work or personal), only browse to safe sites and don't open attachments from people you don't know.

• If you're at work and don't know if a site or attachment is safe, contact your IT Support department.
• If you're working on your personal computer and don't know if a site is safe, make sure your antivirus software is updated and will tell you of potentially unsafe sites (McAfee does this). You can also scan attachments.

Details:

• 3 "ransomware" scams have recently seen significantly increased activity:
• An actual phone call from "Microsoft" letting you know that your computer is infected, with a "technician" willing to walk you through the process to "repair" it.
• An "FBI virus" that tells you that you've been perusing smut, and letting you know that the Federal government needs you to take action.
• And the worst of the lot: a "CryptoLocker virus" that poses as a US or FedEx delivery email notification encrypts the files on your PC (and any network you're on), giving you and the entire network 3 days before the data is lost forever.
• Please do not browse to sites that do not receive a green check mark next to it from your anti-virus software. This example contains the different icons you might see next to a web search. The green checkmarks from McAfee indicate that the site is secure. The question mark indicates that the site is questionable. The red x indicates that the site should be avoided because it is dangerous.

• Do not open any attachments or click on any links in an email that are not from sources you trust and/or which do not specifically relate to business you are conducting (either personally or professionally). 
• If you're not sure if you can spot spam, take this short quiz my company put together last year. I promise the link in the last sentence is safe.
• Finally, below is an email from a colleague of my CIO explaining some of these issues in more details.

Email received by my CIO from an IT colleague:

Subject: ✳Tech Talk: Give me $300 within 3 days or I'll encrypt all your files...

Tech Talk

Technology tips you can use, from people you can trust, in the 90 seconds you have.

Just when you thought the writers of viruses couldn't get any more evil, they do.

I'm talking here about computerized extortion.

The subject line of this Tech Talk describes a "ransomeware" virus called CryptoLocker that surfaced last month and has steadily spread. CryptoLocker will encrypt files on your computer and then pop-up a message that you have 3 days to send a ransom of $300 to the hacker. If the ransom is not sent, the files remain encrypted and the unencryption key is destroyed, rendering the files unrecoverable. CryptoLocker conveniently provides a countdown clock that shows how much time is left before the files are destroyed and provides detailed instructions of how the ransom is to be sent.

The virus is spread through something we've written about before called a "phishing attempt." You'll get an email from FedEx or UPS, or some other respected company that contains an attachment (a ZIP file). After opening the file, your computer is infected. Any USB drives, external drives and even the network drives the computer is attached to can be encrypted with the ransomware.

What Can I do?

Although this Tech Talk describes a particular virus, you can guard against it in the same way you can guard against other viruses - practice "safe" computing.

• Be very cautious about opening email attachments. Large companies typically do not send out emails with attachments.
• Make sure that you back-up all important files to an external drive (or if you're at work, save your work to your work network because your IT department regularly backs it up and can simply wipe your computer back to its original state with no important work lost.)
• Run anti-virus programs at home and keep them up-to-date.

Want to read more about CryptoLocker? Here are some links:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CryptoLocker
• http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/10/youre-infected-if-you-want-to-see-your-data-again-pay-us-300-in-bitcoins/
• http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/cryptolocker-ransomware-information

Embrace Life: Wear Your Seatbelt

Learn more at SussexSaferRoads.gov.uk.

Little Merry Sunshine's Rules of the Road

Winter has arrived in Chicago and with that it has come to my attention that some people need a refresher on their winter driving skills.

To that end, Little Merry Sunshine provides you with her Rules of the Road, which are not meant to be a replacement to the Illinois Secretary of State's Rules of the Road, just an addendum and mostly based on common courtesy:

1. Spend the extra 5 minutes and scrape off all your windows, the roof of your car, your headlights and tail lights. You can do this while your car warms up and then your reward will be a warm car. Simply turning on the windshield wipers is not enough. It is important to spend this time because you will be able to see other cars on the road better and they will be able to see you easier, especially if you drive a white car. Clearing your roof is important because if you're driving in front of me and 2 feet of snow from the roof of your Hummer flies onto my windshield, I will cause you great pain physically, emotionally, and financially, when I survive the accident I'm sure to get into thanks to your laziness.
2. Make sure your windshield wiper fluid is full and then make use of it and your windshield wipers. This will improve your visibility and I recommend re-cleaning your windshield at stoplights as necessary.
3. Invest in new wiper blades. I personally love the winter wiper blades. As discussed above, your ability to see what's in front of you is paramount to everyone's safety on the road.
4. Turn on your headlights. The rule of thumb (and the law) is that if your wipers are on, your headlights should be on. Headlights not only illuminate the road for you, but more importantly, make it easier for oncoming cars to see you. I always keep mine on during the day.
5. Drive the speed limit that is safe for your driving conditions, not necessarily the posted limit. Last night, I was coming home during the first rain/snow storm of the season. Most of the cars were driving a very busy 4-lane unplowed and unsalted road at about 25 mph. This is a road that has anywhere between 35-45 mph posted depending on the part of town. A couple of cars blew past everyone else which made for very unsafe conditions. They were probably only going the posted limit of 45, but the roads were covered in rain/snow/ice/slush and the lane markings were entirely not visible. In their rush to arrive 6 seconds earlier, these drivers put everyone else at risk.
6. Take extra precaution in braking and allow more time for it. Do you remember the rules about pumping your brakes (or not if you've got ABS)? Use them.
7. Add more distance between you and the car in front of you and never tailgate. This seems so obvious, but evidently isn't. On the same trip home last night, I was being tailgated by a very impatient and rude driver. Tailgating is not only rude, but it is dangerous. If I had needed to stop quickly, this driver would have ended up in my front seat. By adding an extra car length or two (in addition to the normal distance this driver should have kept), we would have been much safer if I had somehow started to slide or if something happened in front of me.
8. Keep extra distance at stop lights too. If you are too close at a stop light and you get rear-ended, you will plow into the car in front of you. I was in a chain-reaction read end collision on I-395 one time in Washington DC. Sitting at a complete standstill in bumper-to-bumper traffic, a car 4 cars behind me plowed into someone. That person was pushed into someone, who was pushed into someone and ultimately they all plowed into me. Fortunately, I always leave extra distance between myself and the car in front of me and the accident ended with me because even though my car was pushed forward, I did not hit anything. I had minimal damage and was unhurt. The same can't be said for everyone behind me.
9. Keep your cell phone charged, but stay off of it, especially in the worst weather. And invest in a Bluetooth or other hands-free device.
10. Use your turn signals. Of course, you know where you are headed, but assume that no one else is reading your mind. The turn signal clues people into what actions you may be taking.
11. Change lanes before you need to. This may sound silly, but if you need to get off the Kennedy at Ohio and you're in the far left lane, waiting until you are 10 feet from the exit is not the right time to cross 5 lanes of traffic at 55 mph. Also, if you ever get to drive 55 mph on the Kennedy near Ohio, let me know.
12. Check your tires for tread depth and inflation levels. Do they need to be replaced because they have no tread? You can measure the depth of the tread with a coin. If they're below 2/32", you need new tires. Keeping your tired properly inflated can also make you safer and improve your gas mileage.
13. Keep your gas tank full. This way you won't risk running out of gas in the middle of the road.
14. Pack an emergency kit in your car. I have a flash light, 2 blankets, an extra scarf & hat, 2 granola bars, a bottle of water, hand warmers, an extra pair of wool socks, and some reflective signs for my window that say "call 911." You never know when or where you will need this.
15. Do you have AAA? I swear by it because it's saved me multiple times. It's cheap and better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
16. Ladies, wear weather appropriate shoes. Our stilettos are sexy, but they're useless and dangerous in this weather. Keep them dry and protected by wearing boots. Your feet will be warmer and should you need to get out of your car for any reason, you'll be much safer.
    
17. Be patient. Road rage won't get you from Point A to Point B any faster and in fact can be deadly.
18. All extra time to reach your destination. This will keep your road rage in check, allow you to drive safely, and give you plenty of time to remove all the snow from your car.
    

Follow Little Merry Sunshine's Rules of the Road, along with the Rules of the Road from your state and you're sure to have a safe winter navigating the roads.