Seahunter
AKA "Roy"
Not exactly cyber war, but wanted to alert everyone to a bad malware notification I was sent:
We wanted to alert XXXX employees to a new computer malware that has just begun to surface within the last month. It is called CryptoLocker and is a form of ransomware, meaning it will encrypt certain types of files stored on your computer and then offer to decrypt the file if a ransom is paid.
Although CryptoLocker itself can be readily removed, files remain encrypted in a way which researchers have considered infeasible to break.
If you believe you have become infected here at work, immediately shut down your computer and contact IT Help at x2020.
IT is taking multiple steps to minimize our exposure to this threat here at XXXX but we can’t protect your home computers. The following links will help explain about the virus and give you ways to protect yourself from being infected and possibly spreading the virus to others.
·http://www.today.com/money/nasty-new-malware-locks-your-files-forever-unless-you-pay-8C11511655
·http://www.cdu.edu.au/itms/cryptolocker-info
·http://blog.aarp.org/2013/10/18/vicious-new-malware-steals-files-forever/
At a minimum for home users we recommend:
·Be sure you have a modern anti-virus program installed on your computer and that all your virus definitions are up to date. This advice goes for Linux and Mac computers as well. Though they are not capable of being infected by this virus, they can easily pass it along to Windows computers that are vulnerable.
·Do not open any attachments ending in .ZIP or .EXE even if the sender looks legitimate. Emails through your XXXX email already blocks the .EXE files so you shouldn’t see those.
·Be sure all of your data is backed up and current.
Thanks for your attention and please pass this information on.
Information Technology Department
We wanted to alert XXXX employees to a new computer malware that has just begun to surface within the last month. It is called CryptoLocker and is a form of ransomware, meaning it will encrypt certain types of files stored on your computer and then offer to decrypt the file if a ransom is paid.
Although CryptoLocker itself can be readily removed, files remain encrypted in a way which researchers have considered infeasible to break.
If you believe you have become infected here at work, immediately shut down your computer and contact IT Help at x2020.
IT is taking multiple steps to minimize our exposure to this threat here at XXXX but we can’t protect your home computers. The following links will help explain about the virus and give you ways to protect yourself from being infected and possibly spreading the virus to others.
·http://www.today.com/money/nasty-new-malware-locks-your-files-forever-unless-you-pay-8C11511655
·http://www.cdu.edu.au/itms/cryptolocker-info
·http://blog.aarp.org/2013/10/18/vicious-new-malware-steals-files-forever/
At a minimum for home users we recommend:
·Be sure you have a modern anti-virus program installed on your computer and that all your virus definitions are up to date. This advice goes for Linux and Mac computers as well. Though they are not capable of being infected by this virus, they can easily pass it along to Windows computers that are vulnerable.
·Do not open any attachments ending in .ZIP or .EXE even if the sender looks legitimate. Emails through your XXXX email already blocks the .EXE files so you shouldn’t see those.
·Be sure all of your data is backed up and current.
Thanks for your attention and please pass this information on.
Information Technology Department
