Hackers struck Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center last month (Feb 2016). They encrypted files critical to running the hospital’s systems. And then they asked for money.
After three weeks of operating without crucial computer programs, the Los Angeles hospital paid a $17,000 ransom to restore its systems.
The attackers followed the pattern of other “ransomware” hacks by sneaking onto the victim’s computer system, scrambling the files with an unbreakable code and refusing to release them until a ransom is paid. Around the same time, two German hospitals and the Los Angeles County Health Department saw their files seized in the same maddening way.
While you may not be responsible for keeping sick people alive, you could face a demand for ransom, too. Consumer computers running Microsoft Windows software have already been frequent targets for ransomware. It had long seemed that Apple computers were immune, but news broke this week of the first ransomware targeting Macs!
Because people report only a fraction of ransomware attacks to federal authorities, it’s hard to say exactly how big the problem is. But the bad guys writing this code are getting more creative and sophisticated, and a crop of frightening ransomware tools with names like Locky and CryptoWall have plagued businesses and consumers alike over the past year.
Because TV’s are connected to the internet, prepare to see your smart TV held hostage.
But wait, there’s good news too. The report’s authors point out several ways you can avoid becoming a victim of ransomware. None is guaranteed to work, but at least you’ll know you tried.
Back up your files
The two German hospitals struck by ransomware had backups of their critical files, so they could laugh off the demand for money. Wouldn’t you love to be in that position?
With all the cloud services out there and the availability of easy-to-use external hard drives, you have plenty of options for backing up your files.
The catch: This isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be safe from ransom demands. You might get hit right before you need to turn in an important term paper or work project that you didn’t back up yet. Or you might be the victim of ransomware that also seeks out backup copies. (Yep, that exists.)
The catch: Some ransomware is quite technically advanced. If you don’t have backups and your files are truly irretrievable, you might have to pay if you want them back.
Pay up
When you face the real deal, even the FBI says you should pay.
“The ransomware is that good,” Joseph Bonavolonta, the Boston-based assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Program, said at a 2015 cybersecurity event, according to cybersecurity publication Security Ledger.
The average ransom demand is $300, according to the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, but attackers will pick a number based on how much money you might have. Big companies might see demands for millions of dollars, and regular people might only have to pay a tiny amount.
The really big catch: You might not get your files back! Seriously. Cryptolocker, which is ransomware spread by a crime ring before it was taken offline by law enforcement in 2014, extorted $3 million from users but didn’t decrypt the files of everyone who paid, according to the institute’s study.
Find out what steps you could do to protect yourself on our “IT Help Spot” page, or if you have any questions at all, please contact us anytime.
“Information thanks to Cnet News”