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Why is Cryptolocker Dangerous to You?

What is CRYPTOLOCKER and Why is IT So Dangerous?

Individual Australians are held ransom then pay hundreds sometimes thousands of dollars to rid their computers of the CryptoLocker virus. Australians paid out an estimated $400,00 this year to get our important files back.  (ABC news 9th August 2015) Tracing the actual amount that the hackers are taking is difficult to determine. Worldwide, an estimated US$27 million was paid in 2013. (Wikipedia)

Cryptolocker is a virus that takes down and locks all your business files, all data and your backup. Once into your computer or network, you cannot access anything. A ransom is demanded. There is no guarantee that after payment of the ransom you will get your files back.

 How Do You Get It?

1. ZIP attachments or other weird attachments in e-mails:

Viruses copy and look like companies like Telstra, Australian Federal Police, Ebay, Paypal, Dropbox, Australia Post, NAB, Combank, ANZ, Apple and anyone else. Bonafide companies will NEVER send you a ZIP file or some weird attachment in an email unless you specifically requested it.

2. Links in emails
Links in emails will also get you infected. If you follow a link to a website, that website can and will inject a virus into your system!! Always check the link in an email by hovering your mouse over the link. The link will look like www.apple.com but when you hover your mouse over it, it will change to www.anothersite.com – then it’s fake! Don’t follow it, don’t download anything from it!

3. How Do You Avoid Getting It?

Always check the email for incorrect information

• Check who it’s from. If you don’t know the sender why trust them? Don’t!
• Check the subject and content for spelling mistakes or strange content. Typically virus writers aren’t good at English and don’t write their emails very well.
• Check the links by hovering over them with your mouse. Are they different from what’s written in the email?

Even if it’s from someone you trust, they may have been infected recently and the viruses is emailing their contact list. Always check the attachments and links.

If you are a CEO or manager and you or your staff are unsure or worried about the e-mails coming into your company, we’re absolutely happy to check it out for you and make sure it’s safe. Call us in Melbourne on 03 9486 9000.

Here are the links to the stories:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-09/australians-paying-thousands-after-ransomware-virus-infection/6683618

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CryptoLocker

3 Easy Green IT Tips

 Why Do Something?

Computing and IT, including telephones, iPad and and many everyday IT devices connecting to the internet, are  the fastest growing users of electricity. This demand on electricity continues to climb, wit

h data centres (buildings with physical computers that hold the cloud for our online life eg banking, google, facebook, buying etc) growing between 12% and 19% annually.

3 Easy Green Computing Tips

There are some really easy things you can do to be more energy efficient and environmentally conscious when using your computer.

1. Turn off your equipment or set it to go to standby:

By turning off your equipment, you are saving energy and saving money. “Our computers and smartphones might seem clean, but the digital economy uses a tenth of the world’s electricity — and that share will only increase, with serious consequences for the economy and the environment. Which uses more electricity: the iPhone in your pocket, or the refrigerator humming in your kitchen? Hard as it might be to believe, the answer is probably the iPhone.”

See the article: http://science.time.com/2013/08/14/power-drain-the-digital-cloud-is-using-more-energy-than-you-think/

What can we do to use less energy?

• Set your computer screen to turn off after 5-15 minutes in standby.
• Make sure your laptop is set to go standby after 15min.
• Turn off your equipment and phones when you’re not using it.

Go to this link to find out how to do it.

2. Recycle your old PC/Laptop

• Don’t throw your laptop or PC away and add to the world’s growing waste problem. Why not recycle it?

Many of the computers that end up in landfill could have been used by our community for charities, schools, or other non-profit groups.

Here’s where you can recycle or donate your computer:
http://www.greenpc.com.au/
http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/ewaste-dropoff/MelbourneVIC
http://www.techcollect.com.au

3. Buy green

• If you’re in the market for a new PC, do some research before you buy. Many computer manufacturers, including HP(better on the scale), Acer, Dell (patchy) and others, now offer “green” models that use less energy, have more reusable/rechargeable components, or use recycled material.
• Choose a laptop over a desktop. In order to optimize battery usage, most laptops have energy-efficient features built-in: a laptop can use up to 50% less electricity than a desktop machine.

Check out Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/Cool-IT-Leaderboard/6th-Edition/
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/cool-it/Campaign-analysis/Guide-to-Greener-Electronics/

Thanks for helping to save the planet!