Greg's Corner

New ransomware knows you by name and address

Ransomware is a nasty bit of malware that can lock you out of your computer or network and will hold your files ransom until you pay a bad actor to release them. One of the more infamous ransomware incidents involved a hospital in Kansas that paid the ransom in order to regain access to their patients’ records. One of the main ways ransomware infects a computer network is when a user either opens a strange email attachment or goes to an infected website.

Now the BBC is reporting a new type of ransomware that tricks you into infecting your computer with your own name and address. In this case the scammers will send you an email that appears to be a large bill that you owe. Normally scam emails like this are generic in their presentation however this new type of attack makes the email look more official by having your name and address listed. Like any other phishing email, it tries to trick you into clicking on to an infected website. Once your computer or network is infected and your locked out from your files, the ransowmware will not only detail instructions on how to pay the ransom with Bitcoin, but it will also give you a timer that shows you how much the ransom increases the longer you wait. There has been no word yet how the attackers have been able to match up the names and addresses to the email addresses. While the malware has only been reported so far in the UK, it’s probably only a matter of time before it shows up in the US.

The best protection against ransomware is to not click on unknown email attachments or strange websites these emails ask you to click on. It also helps to make multiple back ups of all your important files. According to Wired, if you do become infected, disconnect any infected computer from the network and try to use anti-malwarwe tools to remove the infection from the computer. They recommend only paying the ransom as a last resort as paying the ransom only propagates the attacks.