ANTIVIRUS Emergency Kit

The recent large-scale ransomware cyber-attacks (e.g. WannaCry – May 12, 2017) and the prospect of repeating them on an ever-increasing scale (e.g. Adylkuzz, to a greater extent) have led us to make a kit containing some recommendations to protect you against such threats.

ON THE PC

• Always update both the operating system and any other software installed on your computer.
• Use a spam filter and delete any suspicious email. Don’t click on links or attachments unless you know their origin.
• For normal work on your computer log on with a user account, not an administrator account.
• Use the macros in Microsoft Office carefully.
• Remove the following plugins from the browsers you use: Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Java and Silverlight. If you still need to turn them on, set your browser to ask you beforehand.
• Remove outdated plugins and add-ons from browsers. Keep only the ones you use often and make sure they are up to date.
• Use an add-blocker.
• Set a high degree of protection and privacy within the browsers you use.
• Do not keep important data only on your PC.
• Use two types of backup – on an external medium (e.g. hard disk) and in cloud (OneDrive, Google Drive, Amazon Drive).
• Use a paid, professional, trusted antivirus that includes an automatic update module and a real-time scanner.
• It is important to use a  traffic filtering technology that offers active anti-ransomware protection.

IN THE COMPANY

• Tell your colleagues about the risks your organization is exposed to when they access the links or attachments from suspicious emails. Also, warn them about social networking behavior or Internet browsing.
• Use professional back-up technology, both for your PC and for the whole IT environment of the organization. It is the only way to efficiently recover after a ransomware infection.
• Install a UnifiedThreat Management equipment (e.g. FortiGate UTM).

IN CASE OF RANSOMWARE INFECTION

• The ransomware cyber attack may be “interrupted” if you immediately stop the computer as soon as you notice its strange behavior. Then you must immediately contact an IT specialist.
• Do not pay the reward to the hacker, because there’s no certainty.
• Call for professionals – there is a very little chance of data recovery via decryption tools.

Globally, ransomware infections have caused huge damage, but it is up to us, users, IT managers and industry specialists to stop this phenomenon. Cybercriminals have an impact on the security of our data only if