Ransomware belongs to a family of malicious software that encrypts your files, making them unusable.  If you fall victim to ransomware you will be asked to pay a ransom before being given access to your files again.

There has been increased ransomware activity recently – in particular from a version called Ransom Crypto Locker – so you should be extra vigilant and cautious of any emails you receive that look at all suspicious.

Information Services can ensure that all reasonable technical preventative measures are in place, but we also need you to be mindful of the constant threat of malware and phishing emails.

Here are some reminders of things that you can do to help ensure that you don’t become a victim: –

• DON’T open .ZIP attachments unless you have specifically requested them from the sender.
  View the email header or send a separate email to validate the sender before opening attachments.
• Save work files to your Home drive (H:) or the shared folders (S:). These drives are backed-up regularly, but we can’t backup any non-networked drives for you, e.g. your C: drive, so you could lose any files saved on it in the event of a ransomware infection.
• DON’T click embedded hyperlinks in email.
  Although the Crypto Locker ransomware is normally sent as .ZIP file, ransomware can also be downloaded from malicious websites.
• Report suspect email to abuse@hw.ac.uk

More Information

McAfee recently posted an item in their KnowledgeBase on this topic – see KnowledgeBase threat advisory PD24786.