![\"new_ransomware_replicates_itself_says_microsoft\"](\"https:\/\/sitesdev.net\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/new_ransomware_replicates_itself_says_microsoft.jpg\")
You\u2019ve probably seen the joke email before. Something to the effect of, \u201cIf you don\u2019t forward this message to six people within twenty-four hours, your teeth will fall out, your car will break down, and all the files on your computer will be deleted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ransomware isn\u2019t quite to that level yet, but it\u2019s getting awfully close. Microsoft warned recently of a new strain of ransomware that not only locks and encrypts all your files, but also actively hides itself from the user, and can make copies of itself, so that it can spread to other machines via flash and network-connected drives.<\/p>\n
When the software is unwittingly installed onto a user\u2019s PC, it will scan for the presence of any flash\/network drives and automatically copy itself to any that it finds, which really moves the needle in terms of threat level. Until now, as bad as ransomware is, all we\u2019ve seen it do is infect a single machine. If these reports are accurate, and there\u2019s no reason to think that they aren\u2019t, it gives ransomware the ability to spread more like a virus, which means that a single impacted machine could put every computer on your network at risk.<\/p>\n
The new strain of the software goes by the name \u201cZCryptor,\u201d and in its current form, charges the infected user 1.2 BitCoin (about $500 USD) to decrypt their files. The price goes to 5 BitCoin if the ransom hasn\u2019t been paid in four days, and after a week, the files are simply eliminated.<\/p>\n
Microsoft advises any infected user to restore from backup, rather than paying the ransom, but the company seems skeptical of its own advice, given that some strains of ransomware also have the ability to delete backups, making such a restoration impossible.<\/p>\n
If you are concerned about ransomware, our team can help. We can come up with a robust backup and security solution that can help prevent or recover from infection. Feel free to reach out to our team for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You\u2019ve probably seen the joke email before. Something to the effect of, \u201cIf you don\u2019t forward this message to six people within twenty-four hours, your teeth will fall out, your car will break down, and all the files on your computer will be deleted.\u201d Ransomware isn\u2019t quite to that level yet, but it\u2019s getting awfully […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":24646,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[34,30],"yoast_head":"\n