This is what happens when your computer gets infected with ransomware

[Sapphiron]

Top tips for randsomware protection

1. don't run an account with admin rights
- always run as a standard user, even if you do know the admin password, it prevents most virus installation, or limits the damage they can do

2. Make sure your backup software does automatic file versioning
- make sure you need a 3rd party program to edit the backup file. A encrypted zip, that requires a password should be ok.

3. make sure your backups cannot be accessed by the operating system directly

4. make sure you have volume shadow copy and system restores enabled on your system
- again, make sure you dont have admin rights, otherwise the randsomware will simply delete the restore points.

5. ENGAGE BRAIN BEFORE CLICKING

 

[milomak]

this reminds me i meant to do a backup the other day

 

[access]

check out these guys for tips on cleaning up.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/

they are under fire for their opinion on software.

 

[kissingmybbgoodbye]

Just after reading this article I had a customer contacting me. They got hit by locky. It is always the same people as well, who get in trouble, some people just should not be let loose on the internet.

 

[dabbler]

...some people just should not be let loose on the internet.

My mother-in-law comes to mind.

 

[Arthur]

I'm curious: Anyone know what happens to files stored in the cloud, eg Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc? If the local files are encrypted and they auto-sync to the cloud, does that mean your cloud versions are also useless?

 

[Sinbad]

I'm curious: Anyone know what happens to files stored in the cloud, eg Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc? If the local files are encrypted and they auto-sync to the cloud, does that mean your cloud versions are also useless?

Probably yes

 

[Arthur]

Probably yes

One word think so, but perhaps this is not the case for some abstruse non-obvious reason. I haven't googled this at all.

 

[supersunbird]

Can an encrypted drive be double encrypted? So if your drive are already bitlocker or veracrypt or truecrypt encrypted, will this affect them?

 

[Sinbad]

One word think so, but perhaps this is not the case for some abstruse non-obvious reason. I haven't googled this at all.

I guess if you scheduled your syncing, or paused it, or whatever, you'd be ok.
Otherwise, auto sync = bye bye content.

 

[Sinbad]

Can an encrypted drive be double encrypted? So if your drive are already bitlocker or veracrypt or truecrypt encrypted, will this affect them?

yes. If the logged in user can access the files the app can encrypt them, and bitlocker will then encrypt the encrypted form.

 

[Arthur]

Just found this: According to Netskope, one way of getting infected by encryption ransomware is if you share files with others on the cloud, eg a shared Dropbox folder.

You might compute safely, but someone else with access to a shared cloud folder might not.

https://www.netskope.com/press-rele...erprises-sanctioned-cloud-apps-laced-malware/

Scary.

 

[Arthur]

I haven't checked for Dropbox and Google Drive, but OneDrive keeps previous versions, so if your files get jinxed and then sync to OneDrive, you simply clean the infected machine, recover the previous version of all affected files, and sync back. Whew.

 

[Arthur]

Same with Dropbox.