For those of you that are unfamiliar with ransomware it is a type of malware that takes over your computer. It usually encrypts your hard drive and requires you to pay to have it restored, which usually never happens after you pay, and you are left with a mostly unusable computer.
Last week a new ransomware virus called Bad Rabbit was discovered in western Asia. It seems to have spread to eastern Europe before it was discovered. According to news articles, cyber security experts claim that it has been stopped.
The big thing with these ransomware viruses is that usually you need to let them into your computer. You basically click on something infected to get it. Bad Rabbit has been seen to disguise itself as a fake Adobe Flash update. If you ever see a pop up for a flash update it is best to go to Adobe.com. There you can check to see if you actually need an update and get update directly from them.
The big takeaways are make sure you have good quality antivirus software that is up to date and your computer is fully updated. Also, there are so many pop ups out there these days. They can be very annoying. Before you hastily click anywhere on a pop up to close it check it over first. You can always close your browser and reopen it if you are unsure about clicking a popup. Even the “X” to close it can be compromised. As always contact KES Tech Services if you have any questions or concerns!