The New and Reproved Ransomware

Recently, a new variant of the notorious Locky ransomware – IKARUS delapidated – has become part of a large-scale email-based campaign. The attack is gaining traction because it is able to slip past the defenses of some unsuspecting companies. On August 9, the first campaign of a worldwide ransomware attack was detected. This massive attack connected 62,000 phishing emails with the newly discovered Locky variant.

Locky is a common type of ransomware that emerged in 2016 and has since been utilized in a wide range of cyber attacks. This new Locky-variant is still in process of spreading, powered from more than 11,625 distinct IP addresses in 133 different countries (the top five being Vietnam, India, Mexico, Turkey and Indonesia).

What you need to know!

Here’s what you need to know about this new ransomware and how you can ensure that your business network remains protected against it.

• The main way the new variant is spread is by manipulating social concepts – the trickery of the phishing attempts. Through phishing emails, users are tricked or induced into opening a docx, pdf, jpg, zip or other file.
• The file presented in the phishing email should not be opened because it contains the “IKARUS dilapidated” ransomware. The name comes from a phrase that appears in the hidden code. If the user opens the attached file, the ransomware takes over.
• At that point, all files that match particular extensions are encrypted. Then the filenames are converted to a unique 16 letter-number combination using the .locky file extension.
• After the files are completely encrypted, users are given instructions for downloading a Tor browser and directed to a site on the dark web where the cyber criminals demand a ransom payment of up to one bitcoin (which equates to over $4,000).
• Many protection solutions have been updated to detect Locky ransomware generally. However, this variant is able to slip past detection tools because it is so new.
• As a new ransomware variant, it is read as an “unknown file” and is allowed entry into the system.
  • Those organizations using a “default-deny” security posture would not be as affected. Default-deny denies entry to all unknown files until it is verified that they are safe to enter the IT infrastructure.
  • Organizations not using default-deny allow the unknown file to enter the network system. Because the system sees the file as unknown it makes it more difficult to detect.

Webroot Solution

For our customers enjoying the security services Alliant provides, it is still vital that you properly educate your employees to minimize the serious risk at hand. Alliant provides Webroot which protects against these kinds of attacks. Webroot uses real-time anti-phishing capabilities to protect against initial phishing emails and phishing sites. Should you be uncertain whether you have signed up for Webroot or have any further questions about ensuring protection against this new variant, please give Alliant a call.

While Alliant’s antivirus and firewall solutions are incredibly effective in reducing risk, you need a more robust security solution in place to defend against the increasingly dangerous landscape. This particular variant of ransomware attack calls for effective security to detect and respond to threats, and to block all unknown files from the IT infrastructure until they are verified as safe.

The only “fail-safe”

Unfortunately, no matter how strong the security solution, attacks will continue to slip through the cracks. Full protection implements a proper, reliable backup and disaster recovery (BDR) solution with online and offline backup solutions as the ultimate fail-safe against the attack which gets past your initial defense line.

Make sure you are prepared. Request your employees to read this informative article. Call Alliant if you have any questions or concerns regarding full protection and a robust BDR solution. We are here for you!

BrightLocal a Good Source

One of the sources that I have come to trust and appreciate is BrightLocal (BL). They do all things SEO and do it well. Among their services are tools for creating, updating and managing directory citations. Another is curating review sites. Recently they offered their 2017 list of 300+ Industry categorized review sites. What a treasure!

Just how do you get the best reviews from the best review sites?

Read more →

Why we should be asking more ‘stupid’ questions.

The ‘smart’ teacher

I recently read a vivid illustration of the “stupid question” that needed to be asked. The shy student who dared to raise her hand.

The teacher, a cognitive scientist, studies the psychology of understanding. I don’t know about you, but just that job title would make me shrink from asking a question that might be seen as stupid!

So this super smart teacher was talking about building a chart that shows data distribution. He was using a simple word – “bin.” As in, “when the data are continuous you must first place them into bins.”

What is a ‘bin’?

Most of us have bins at home. I have one for dirty laundry, which I call a laundry basket. Another for food, which I call a refrigerator! Regardless the size, a bin is a place to collect things.

While Mr. Scientist was talking, a hand went up in the front row. The collegian was obviously embarrassed, beginning with the typical disclaimer, “This is such a stupid question.” She went on to express her question. “But I am really confused. What do you mean by a ‘bin’?” Read more →

Almost two years ago Reliable Tech News published an article called, Those Unwanted Phone Calls! While the emphasis there was on steps to take to deal with such calls, behind that focus was a very simple reality: technology makes fraud easy.

Sometimes just knowing a little bit about the technology helps to insulate you from the fraud perpetrated against you. Chloe Person, a writer for ConsumerHealthLabs.com came across our article and offered some helpful alerts to protect you against seven basic fraud types. In every case the perpetrators take advantage of the fatal flaw of ignorance in the victim. Be informed! Read more →

Why is WiFi sometimes unobtainable?

Has anyone else noticed that WiFi coverage at LAX is quite poor? As number 12, they are ranked below the top half of the 20 busiest airports in the country. WiFi at the top three – Denver, Philadelphia, Seattle – is 4-6 times faster!

But it’s not just airports. Restaurants are culprits as well. After enjoying a lunch-time conversation with a friend, we each looked at our calendars to decide when next to meet. My smart phone was ready. His was not. “Somehow,” he told me, “I don’t seem to have a signal.” WiFi present, but not accessible due to some unseen WiFi obstacle.

This common problem is most frustrating – and time consuming – when it happens at your business. Given the rise in personal devices brought to a business either by employees or outside sources, there is a need to consider potential WiFi obstacles in your office building. When it works, WiFi is very useful. When it meets with multiple WiFi obstacles, it is not. Read more →

Doing it wrong without knowing it!

American consumerism has produced products and packaging. Products have produced consumer debt and packaging has produced consumer frustration.

Have you ever come across a package that is difficult to open and hard to use? I have! But then by accident or by rare intuition, I will either eventually come across some fine print that explains “how to,” or just figure it out. Then the package opens and is more readily usable.

For example, those little fluted paper ketchup cups at the fast food place? You can dip one fry, maybe two. Unless! Unless you use it right. The fluting is meant to be spread out so that you have a flat surface. This video, How to use a Ketchup Cup Properly, shows you how. It’s great!

Admittedly, there’s very little tech involved in ketchup cups. But what’s important at the start is the concept: doing it wrong without knowing it. Because that happens all the time to all of us. And the biggest tech culprit is application software – programs like Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook. Read more →

Does news about Russian hackers make you feel less safe? Some expert rules to safeguard your password security.

The March 15 DOJ indictment of Russian hackers shows that computer users are not taking routine precautions regarding their password security. That is to say people targeted by the hackers had such poor password security habits that the hackers had little challenge getting through. So if even the top level practices poor password security, what hope is there for those of us not in the cross-hairs of these international spy hackers? Read more →

Everyone’s in the cloud, aren’t they? 

[Check out our initial article on Cloud Computing.]

Remind me. What is cloud computing?

Google provides a very nice definition: the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.

Briefly, it is the difference between data “out there,” rather than data “in here.” Which is what PCMag.com means when it says, “Cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive.” Read more →

No need to go to the door to check. Ransomware is still there!

I received an email from Yahoo with the subject line, “Help Keep Your Account Secure.” I looked at the actual email address and found it to be Yahoo[at]communications.yahoo.com.

That all sounds pretty reasonable, right? Why would I have any hesitation in opening this purportedly helpful email? For three reasons: 1) I’d just read a Yahoo announcement admitting 1 billion accounts hacked in addition to a previously reported 500 million; 2) the email had been sent to a public email address, not my personal address; 3) the email opened, “Dear Jeff” totally unaware what my name is! Needless to say the email was marked as SPAM. Read more →

Goals for the New Year

Have you ever noticed that the gym is always the most crowded in January?

Goals are only helpful if they are written and written well. The problem with an unwritten goal is that it gets forgotten – the palest ink is stronger than the greatest memory. But. Not just forgotten, altered. Unwritten goals move away from the original demand that would strengthen one for achievement like air leaking out of a tire. Or like water leaking into a ship one moves slowly toward something not quite so demanding, or threatening to sink the effort. Read more →