'Ransomware' wave growing across United States
This is what government exists for, and like so much of the current one, it fails miserably at doing it. It would not be a hard thing to get the records needed to find the site where this came from, and go after them. International agreements be damned, this is an attack on our country. It is not the first, many government agencies have been done in and the idiots pay instead of having current backups they can fall back on. But if they went and found the criminals, took them out and shot them, I bet it would stop pretty quick. Pure BS that this can happen. Also to protect yourself, do NOT backup to a drive inside the PC, use a seperate backup drive and keep it disconnected. That way, you can always restore your files and flip these idiots the bird.
the most current version to a CD. . takes a few seconds,
but it's worth it. . I do it every hour or so. -- j
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goes out more often, usually because trees have fallen
onto the lines. -- j
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The typical current strategy seems to be to use encrypted connections that can't be easily traced, if at all. A legitimate website can be hacked and infected, temporary email addresses on foreign servers used to send infected mail, and internet connections of the criminals and their means of receiving the bit coin payoffs are encrypted to be untraceable.
NSA and the FBI are more interested in breaking our security and exploiting vulnerabilities that they find rather than alerting people to vulnerabilities when found and protecting citizens from attacks.
They didn't, and got hit a second time a few weeks later.
[facepalm]
I've had no problems with ransomeware thus far, probably because I do not have any MS Windows systems. Occasionally I notice that an "interesting" file offered for download is a MS ".exe" file in disguise. Since my system cannot execute a file like that it likely cannot cause me harm.
When you get spam from what looks like someone you know it is usually because their email has been hacked and taken over. Implicit trust in email that looks like it is from someone you know is a major vulnerability because you are more likely to click on a link you know nothing about and which leads to downloading a virus. Use a secure browser and don't click on links without knowing what you are asking for.
Exactly my point. They could turn those resources to more useful, protective pursuits more in line with what government should be doing.
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instigated by heroes and heroines of the community!" --
and the screen shows the Occupy Wall Street fiasco. -- j
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Had something similar happen to me when I was writing my first book...good thing I had just backed it up in anticipation of sending that back up to the publisher...I did have to buy another computer though...this crap sucks.
Seriously, people: Carbonite or some other nightly backup is worth $5 a month! At least write your photos off onto DVD's - they are virus-proof!
I used to shut down our modem too until my wife got her "dumb" phone...didn't help matters any when I forgot to plug back in the modem a few times either...
A nice capitalist mercenary could do wonders.
Just imagine the response when three 6'4" marines showed up at the home of the pimply twenty-something hackers, without the cops.
My father in law just got a ransom virus, and I am going to have to wipe his machine. He is a highly irresponsible web surfer though. The worst nightmare for a technically oriented son in law, with a family of non-technical children (doctors, lawyers, nurses).
that's really good advice. My son put me on to that some time ago and while I'm about as unlikely a victim as most private citizens, it still geives me a sense of security knowing the contents of my computer are untouchable. A really good sense of security for $100 to $200.
The current administration's anti military attitude allows anything to happen, especially in the Middle East. It's as if the adults have all left the playground.
That makes me feel even more justified to be secure.
Our government is inept. They never accomplish anything we would all approve of and to which they have legitimate purpose. Strange how they can break the encryption of a terrorist's Iphone when it suits them. These cyber criminals are scum. If the government can break down Apple's encryption, then I see no excuse for their lack of action. Some private sector solution must be found. The internet security software company that does will rightly profit.
Respectfully,
O.A.
Yes, the Constitution allows for "Letters of Marque" (Article 1, Sec.8). Thoritsu is right.
It is high time we brought them back.
Regards,
O.A.
And yes, I would love to see a team of SEAL snipers put and end to these people. They destroy lives, they destroy businesses. They hide in the Ukraine and in Russia and other lawless places.
Government cant be trusted to fix this. We have to do it ourselves.