Protect UMBC - Ransomware Attacks Still Active

Many of us lived our lives, at least in part, through computers even before telework and distance learning became the norm.  You may use your computer for writing reports, designing presentations, tracking budgets, email, banking, checking medical records, filing your taxes, and dozens of other necessary work and life-related chores.  Now, suppose someone took your computer and demanded a hundred dollars for its return.  Suppose someone took all the computers in your office or university away and demanded thousands of dollars for their return.  This is what ransomware does.  

Just to be clear, no one shows up, grabs the computer, and runs out the door.  During a ransomware attack, the computer is still there.  The data on the computer, however, all the email, documents, spreadsheets, bookmarks and whatever else you have stored on it is unusable.  It has been encrypted, and you don’t know the password. The data is, for all intents and purposes, gone.

Ransomware will leave your computer just functional enough to pop a ransom note up on the screen.  The note directs the victim to pay a specified amount in cryptocurrency in return for the password.  The payment will be effectively untraceable. Like most ransom situations, you have no assurance beyond the word of obvious criminals that you will get that password, or even that they have it.  Two departments at Michigan State University were struck with ransomware around last Memorial Day and have announced the ransom will not be paid. 

Ransomware is delivered in the same way as other malware.  It usually gets a foothold when a computer user opens infected email, clicks on a malicious link, or installs software from an untrusted source.  It is just as likely to strike any computer as any other malicious program.

Updating your computer regularly with security patches and installing anti-virus protection is always a good idea.  The absolute best defense against ransomware, is to make a backup.  If you have recent copies of your files stored somewhere other than on your computer, you can restore all your data if ransomware hits.  You don’t need to backup all the information on the computer, just the information that is important and irreproducible.  Documents, pictures, address lists, etc. can all be backed up, either to removable media such as a USB thumb drive or an external drive, or to cloud storage.   Microsoft and Apple have both tried to make automatic backup to cloud storage as easy as possible (see Resources below).  There are other options such as Box storage with Box Sync.

IMPORTANT:  If you are working from home using data belonging to UMBC, there may be restrictions on where that data can be stored.  Check with the Division of Information Technology (security@umbc.edu) to find out what options are available.  It is essential that backups of sensitive data be protected and not breached.  

Resources

Windows Backup to Microsoft OneDrive

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/pc-cloud-backup

Macintosh Backup to iCloud

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204025

For more information:

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/06/04/michigan-state-refuses-pay-ransom-hackers