Ransomware

[bochane]

Police in The Netherlands in cooperation with Europol, Kaspersky and Intel Security, announced a new website with offers help to victims of ransomware and with advice to protect your system against it.

Here it is: The No More Ransom Project

I hope it helps
Henk

 

[Neemobeer]

I would add the following to that prevention list

• Uninstall Adobe Flash and Java if you don't really need them
• Disable Flash in chrome, type in chrome://plugins/ in your browser and disable
• Disable Flash in Edge Settings > Advanced Settings
• Install an ad-blocker (many ransomware infections come from ads)
• Change the DNS servers on your router to security focused service that actively blacklist sites Comodo Secure DNS, Managed DNS Service, Secure DNS Provider
• Install EMET to enhance system security https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=50766

 

[RichM]

Here are my suggestions:
1) Use a good quality paid Antivirus (not Internet Security Suite version) such as Webroot, Nod32, Kaspersky, or Emsisoft
and if not using Antivirus that is also AntiMalware as Emsisoft and Webroot are use Malwarebytes Pro as well.
2) "Web of Trust" on all browsers (WOT). Safe Browsing Tool | WOT (Web of Trust)
3) "Ad Block Plus" on all browsers (keep out Internet Ads, not just popups)
4) "Win Patrol" on all systems free or paid version ties down startup, home page and registry www.winpatrol.com
5) Practice safe surfing. Don't open email attachments without knowing for sure who sent it and why and stay away
from any websites WOT warns against.
6) Keep all plugins up to date i.e. Adobe Flash Player and Reader and Java (and I can't imagine how to do without these as almost every website I use needs one of the other.....
7) Backup whatever is important to you to either an external or internal hard drive or cd-dvd away from pc
I have 5-600 clients including businesses as well as home users and have never seen an incidence of ransomware yet up close!

 

[bochane]

The good thing of that website is that there are some decryption tools, I think. But protection is always better!

.....

• Install EMET to enhance system security Download Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) 5.5 from Official Microsoft Download Center

Sorry for my ignorance, but could you perhaps explain in a few words what EMET is doing. Is it a tool for setting up your protection, or is a protection? I had never heard of it and I don't get the picture from that website.

Henk

 

[Neemobeer]

It's a supplemental security tool that helps mitigate attack vectors commonly used by malware to exploit a system.


Here's a good article on malware and you will see one of the paragraphs mention that Adobe Flash accounts for about 80% of the successful ransomware infections.
Cisco: Potent ransomware is targeting the enterprise at a scary rate

 

[bochane]

A summary on ZDNet:
No more ransomware: How one website is stopping the crypto-locking crooks in their tracks | ZDNet