Nearly two years ago (October 2013) I wrote a blog post titled “Beware Cryptolocker Malware Madness”, a warning about a new strain of ransomware called “Cryptolocker”.  At that time, I immediately implemented new protection software and strengthened security policies on the servers and workstations that I manage.

The Detroit Free Press recently ran an updated article about ransomware attacks on computers:

During these past two year, there have been several new variations of this malware threat. It has found its way into home computers as well as multi-national companies. Unfortunately, it is not easily detected by security or anti-virus programs. I have had to cleanup a ransomware attack only three times. In all three cases, we had backups available to restore those files that had been encrypted.

When a computer has been attacked, the virus begins to put a highly secured password on all your files. Suddenly, you find that you cannot open up letters, pictures, spreadsheets, as well as data files (Quicken, QuickBooks, etc.). And, if your computer is on a home or business local network, this ransomware can quickly spread to other computers or servers.

The reason it is called “ransomware” is because you generally have 72 hours to pay their ransom, which can range from $200 to thousands of dollars, to unlock your files. Unless you have a backup of those files, you either pay the ransom or lose those files for good.

In the near future I will be communicating with my clients on additional security precautions I will be recommending to minimize the threat and damage caused by this malware.