Ride the Lightning

Cryptolocker Ransomware Strikes Lawyers

November 19, 2013

You call tell the holiday season is upon us, because the bad guys have figured out that this is a wonderful time to release ransomware that it is hidden in what appears to be a tracking notification from UPS or FedEx. When you open the e-mail and download the zip file inside, boom, you've unleashed the ransomware which encrypts your files – until you pay a $300 fee to the cybercriminials within 96 hours.

The notorious Cryptolocker virus is spreading happily across the global, striking lawyers too. One recent story (hat tip to Jeff Fox) involved lawyer Mari Jo Clark in Phoenix. Hearing from her staff that no one could access documents, she called her IT expert. With his help, she found the infected computer, which had wallpaper with a Doomsday Clock saying that she had three days to pay $300 to get her documents unlocked.

Though not happy, she paid the villains $300 in Bitcoins (which make it nearly impossible to track the bad guys) and her documents began to be decrypted – the whole process took three days.

Make sure your anti-malware software is up-to-date, run a scan and make sure you have a complete backup of your files. For more helpful information about avoiding or eradicating the Cryptolocker virus, here's an excellent article.

And as always, don't be click-happy!

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