Following the cyber-attacks that occurred in Baltimore and Florida, last week, Monroe College in New York, had multiple campuses hit, and taken offline, by ransomware, crippling the college’s network. This has not just affected the school’s administrative departments; however; it has also hurt students and teachers. The ransomware is asking for an obscene $2 million for the safe return of the college’s data. Jackie Rugger, the executive director of public affairs at the college, said in an interview on Friday (07/12) with Inside Higher Ed that the school was still unsure who had carried out the attack, but that the school was actively working with local law enforcement and the FBI in order to determine where the attack originated from. There was no comment on whether the school would pay the $2 million ransom. For now, Rugger said, the school continues to operate. However, they have been forced to resort to using “historic” methods. Students and teachers have still been able to attend classes, with homework being turned in on paper. Ransomware infections are usually due to someone on the network falling victim to a phishing email scam. It is difficult to determine the severity and exact amount of ransomware attacks that occur daily, but cybersecurity firms believe that attacks are on the rise. What makes this attack different is that ransomware attacks that focus on colleges usually focus on a specific individual rather than the entire network, said Ben Woelk, according to Insider Higher Ed. He stated that this attack is demanding an amount of money he had ever witnessed before. Depending on how Monroe College reacts to this technological hostage situation could determine whether we see a string of upcoming ransomware attacks on colleges across the country. Cybersecurity analysts, as well as the FBI, believe that no business or institution should pay the ransom, should their network become infected. With no guarantee that the criminals would provide a key upon payment, it seems as though not paying would be a company’s best option. However, with ransomware, companies must understand that with each day, the ransom will continue to increase. In Baltimore, the city government refused to pay to ransom, opting to revamp its network, costing over $18 million. Therefore, despite the lack of reliability on criminals, businesses, and institution placed in this situation must come to terms with the lesser of two evils. At Hammett Technologies, our partners never have to worry about ransomware attacks. We use state-of-the-art cybersecurity software and hardware to ensure our partner’s data security, while not interrupting or slowing down their work process. Hammett Technologies practices prevention, halting cyber-attacks before our partners even know they were there. Want more information as to how we can help your business grow? Click here!
Tax season is no doubt a happy time for many Americans. The extra boost in cash from paying taxes makes everyone’s wallet feel great! However, where there is money, there are unwelcome guests. While many are preparing their taxes and W-2 forms, hackers are busy developing malware to infect and steal information from unsuspecting victims. It is important that we understand how these hackers aim to get access to banking information. What to Look For? The majority of these attacks come from email spam. By making the emails appears to be from large firms such as Paychex and ADP, these hackers aim to deceive people into opening and downloading malicious Microsoft Excel files. One downloaded, the Excel file will execute one of the most effective banking Trojans, Trickbot. While these attacks usually target businesses, that does not mean an individual will not come across this attack. The cybercriminals do their best to disguise the email as friendly, going as far as to replicate the names and emails of HR services and accounting companies. By making the email appear to be from someone the recipient knows, or is aware of, the guard of that person is lowered, making them more likely to open attachments. Just one unaware person can allow Trickbot to enter the company and spread to every computer on the network. What is Trickbot? Trickbot is malware specifically designed to silently infect a computer and steal sensitive data such as, banking credentials. Once the credentials are acquired, the Trojan proceeds to setup wire fraud directly from your own computer. Once infected, hackers have complete control over your machine, and can spread the attack to any other machines that are on the network. Trickbot is a top ranking Trojan and is still in development, adding new “skills” to the virus, making it even more destructive. What Can I Do to Stay Safe? In order to keep yourself protected during tax season, follow these safety tips: The IRS only uses snail mail as a means of communication. Therefore, if you receive an email, phone call, text message, social media message, do not respond. If you receive an email and it seems suspicious, do not click, open, or download any attachments or links. If the email is from someone you know, it is best to verify with the sender before opening any attachments, ZIP files, or RAR files. Disable macros by default in all Office applications. If a downloaded office attachment asks you to enable macros immediately close the excel and delete the file. Many malicious files need macros enabled in order to execute, and this includes Trickbot, which uses excel to inject its malicious code. Use updated antivirus protection and ensure you are protected against Trickbot. Make sure your computer is up to date and has no pending updates. By taking these extra steps you can ensure that you do not become the victim of Trickbot.
Another example of how someone will attempt to trick you into giving out your personal information! Please, make sure you are always paying attention when going through your email. If an email appears sketchy, it most likely is! Most of the time, the biggest give away is the senders email address! The email address “accounts@office365.micros0ft.tech” should stand out as a red flag. Upon closer inspection you will notice that the “O” in Microsoft is in fact a “0”(zero). Once you notice something like this, make the email as spam and move along! Remember to always be on the lookout! If possible, get in contact with the company that email appears to be from! This will help you gain peace of mind, as well as notify the company of a possible issue!
Unfortunately, this attack may affect those of you who travel the most. If you have stayed at any of the following Starwood brand hotels, including the Marriot, your information could have been compromised. Westin Sheraton The Lucury Collection Four Points by Sheraton W Hotels St. Regis Le Méridien Aloft Element Tribute Portfolio Design Hotels If you have stay at one of the hotels, it is in your best interest that you assume your information has been compromised! Take precautions and prepare yourself for a variety of social engineering attacks. What to Look For Spear Phishing Alert: Starwood Preferred Guests accounts have been breached, therefore it is likely that attackers have access to both your work and personal email addresses. Now, having your email address, attacks will send you emails that appear to be from real corporations, in an attempt to gain further access to your personal information! Be on patrol for these kinds of email, and if you do spot one, mark it as spam and report it immediately Copycat Phishing and SMS Phishing: With your information now floating around in the wild, attackers will try numerous methods in order to gain further access into your personal information! Marriot has made a statement saying it would email any Starwood Preferred Guests as well as those who may be impacted. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the attackers will now always be sending you and email that will look almost identical. Therefore, to air on the side of caution, do not open any emails, click on any links, or download any attachments that have come from the Marriott or Starwood Hotels. Furthermore, do not respond to any voicemails, or texts that claim they are representatives from the hotels listed above. Instead, look up the hotel and call them directly yourself! Have a Chat with Accounting: Odds are you have a business credit card, and if you have stayed at one of the following hotels in the past 4 years, odds are the bad guys have that same exact card now. Therefore, ask accounting to watch the card for any suspicious activity! If you use your own credit card and get reimbursed, call your bank and inform them of the situation, change your password, and monitor your account closely! Do Not Search for “WebWatcher”: Marriott is offering those who were targeted in the US, Canada, and the UK, a free, one year subscription to a Kroll Identity Service called “WebWatcher”. This service monitors “internet sites where personal information is shared”. Decoded that means they watch hacking sites on the deep web for compromised data records. DO NOT search the web for this program. This search will lead you to programs that, while they carry the same name, are hosts to spyware and other dangerous viruses. If you want to sign up for the free monitoring service, follow the links at info.starwoodhotels.com to country specific versions. Traveling Safe When leaving for an office trip or vacation make sure you: before leaving the office while packing in the taxi at the airport in flight at meetings and conferences at the hotel Following these steps will make sure that you are secure when traveling!
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