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Protecting your PC from Ransomeware

<p style="margin: 0px 0px 9px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">CryptoLocker Ransomeware at ODU</strong></p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has issued an advisory concerning CryptoLocker Ransomeware Infections in which documents on the computer and on the user&rsquo;s home drive and shared drives become encrypted and unrecoverable (&nbsp;<a href="http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA13-309A" style="color: rgb(0, 33, 59);">http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA13-309A</a>&nbsp;).&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> In the past three months two computers at ODU have been infected with this malware.&nbsp; Since that time we have taken a number of steps to protect computers on our network.&nbsp; However, nothing can replace the use of safe computing practices by our computer users.</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> US-Cert, and the ODU IT Security Office recommend these preventative measures to protect your computer from this and other infections:</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Maintain current security patches (ITS managed workstations are patched routinely)</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Maintain current McAfee anti-virus definitions (ITS managed workstations maintain current A\V definitions)</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Backup important data to an offline repository.&nbsp; (Home and shared folders are backed up to an offline repository).</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages or submit any information to webpages in links</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Use caution when opening email attachments. Refer to the Security Tip &ldquo;Using Caution with Email Attachments&rdquo; (<a href="http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/st04-010" style="color: rgb(0, 33, 59);">http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/st04-010</a>&nbsp;)</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Refer to the &ldquo;Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams&rdquo; document (&nbsp;<a href="http://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/emailscams_0905.pdf" style="color: rgb(0, 33, 59);">http://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/emailscams_0905.pdf</a>&nbsp;)</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Refer to the Security Tip &ldquo;Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks&rdquo; (&nbsp;<a href="http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/st04-014" style="color: rgb(0, 33, 59);">http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/st04-014</a>&nbsp;)</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> If you think your computer is infected, you can call the ITS Help Desk at 683-3192, email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:itshelp@odu.edu" style="color: rgb(0, 33, 59);">itshelp@odu.edu</a>, or fill out an online incident report at&nbsp;<a href="http://occs.odu.edu/security/incident/form/" style="color: rgb(0, 33, 59);">http://occs.odu.edu/security/incident/form/</a>&nbsp;.</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> Doug Streit</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> Director, Information Security</p> <p style="margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> http://www.odu.edu/ts/security</p>

Posted By: John Streit
Date: Fri Dec 13 10:30:52 EST 2013

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