Blog | Managed IT Solutions For Businesseshttps://acsapp.com/blog/2024-03-25T22:31:16-04:00ACS IT Services Blog
Beware the Cryptolocker!!2019-07-09T18:57:50-04:002024-03-25T22:31:16-04:00David Castlehttps://acsapp.com/blog/author/davidc@acsapp.com/https://acsapp.com/blog/beware-the-cryptolocker/<h3>What Is Cryptolocker?</h3>
<p>Cryptolocker is a malware or ransomware threat that has been in the news quite a bit lately. It infects your computer and then searches for files to encrypt. It not only searches your local hard drive, but it will also encrypt your thumb drive data and shared network drives you have access to.</p>
<p>In addition it will look for files that you have access to in the cloud and encrypt those also. It currently only targets computers running a Windows Operating System.</p>
<p>Once your computer is infected, files are encrypted, and you will lose access to them. The virus will then display a screen indicating that your files will be destroyed if you do not pay a ransom in a certain time.</p>
<h3>How Does A Computer Get Infected With Cryptolocker?</h3>
<p>The most common way a computer gets infected with Cryptolocker is through e-mails with unknown attachments. Even though the attachment may look legitimate (PDF File, Word File, Excel File), it is in fact a fake and is an executable file that infects your system. It may also come from websites that require you to download a “plug-in” or other type of file.</p>
<p>Although, a good anti-virus program can remove the Cryptolocker, they are unable to decrypt your data.</p>
<h3>Protecting Your Computer Against Cryptolocker</h3>
<p>If you feel that your computer has been infected, or are worried that it may become infected, <a href="mailto:info@acsapp.com">email</a> or call ACS <a href="tel:+8774048224">877-404-8224</a> and learn how we can help protect your computer and network against Cryptolocker.</p>60% Of Business Fail After Ransomware Infection2018-07-13T00:00:00-04:002024-03-24T17:14:55-04:00adminhttps://acsapp.com/blog/author/admin/https://acsapp.com/blog/60-of-business-fail-after-ransomware-infection/<p>Ransomware (or cryptolocker) are the most dangerous viruses ever created for small businesses. These viruses go right after the businesses most important assets, its data. Imagine waking up tomorrow and having all of the following gone-</p>
<ul>
<li>Financial data</li>
<li>Quickbooks data</li>
<li>CAD and engineering drawings</li>
<li>Customer communications</li>
<li>Emails</li>
</ul>
<p>The reality is that this happens daily, and the effects are real. Small businesses are the easiest target. The criminals don’t care that you’re in Northern Michigan. They don’t care that you only have a very small business with “nothing really important” on your computers. They only care that they know you are reliant on your data, and once they own it, they will make you pay for getting it back.</p>
<p>It is widely reported that 60% of small to midsized business who are hit by these viruses never recover and are shut down in 6 months. We can begin to guess why, but I know that any business, including ACS, would suffer drastically if the above data were lost.</p>
<p>This is why you must take the security of your network seriously. Eliminating as many threat vectors as possible, and affordable, is the key to protecting your business. Things you can do include –</p>
<ul>
<li>Patching, and keeping your security updates on your pc’s and servers</li>
<li>Having a solid offsite cloud based backup</li>
<li>Filtering all incoming email</li>
<li>Filtering web browsing</li>
<li>Train and teach your employees how to be safe online</li>
<li>Using a next generation firewall to protect your network</li>
</ul>
<p>Albert Steed is the President of ACS. He’s been in IT for over 20 years, and is the virtual CTO for many small businesses throughout Northern Michigan.</p>