October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. and for week 2 of 6 we are going over the ins and outs of ransomware.

So What is Ransomware?

Ransomware, the latest cyber security threat, is defined as a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid. Examples of popular ransomware attacks include CryptoLocker, CryptoWall, Locky, and Crysis. Ransomware attacks have accrued tens of millions of dollars over the past few years, with the average payment coming in at $1,077 per device (up $294 from 2016).

An example message you may see pop up on your screen includes, “Unfortunately, the files on this computer have been encrypted. You have 96 hours to submit payment to receive the encryption key, otherwise your files will be permanently destroyed.”

How Can You Get Ransomware?

EMAIL
Spamming you with emails that carry a malicious attachment or instruct you to click on a link. Yahoo email accounts are very susceptible.

ONLINE
Only visit websites you know and trust as many sites out there are infected by malware.

MALVERTISING
When hackers embed malware within an advertisement on a website.

In the future, please be mindful of things you download from the internet, emails you open and click on, files you download from your email, and other cyber scams.

When in doubt, don’t click or download!