CryptoWall ransom infections spike to 830,000 in matter of weeks

  • 23 October 2014
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The malware that just won't go away

By John E. Dunn | Techworld | Published: 11:25, 23 October 2014
 
Dell SecureWorks has updated its figures on the number of PCs infected by the awful CryptoWall ransom malware and the news isn’t good – the number of systems has spiked suddenly to 830,000.
The firm’s last statistic in late August was 625,000, itself a large number of infected systems, which means that CryptoWall has boosted its haul of victims by 25 percent in a matter of weeks.
Looking at the latest UK statistics, Dell SecureWorks estimates that CryptoWall has hit 40,000 PCs, with 75 residents handing over ransoms to the tune of $47,250 (£29,000), a figure that arrives in time for the UK’s Get Safe Online week.
 
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We actually just hosted a huge and amazing webinar on Crypto today. Our senior threat researcher, Tyler Moffitt, presented and I've got to say it was amazingly informative.

https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/8241/127363?
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Would negative publicity, real or imagined, stating that even when you pay you won't receive a key, not help ? Once the public commonly believe that sending payment will just add insult to injury without any benefit, they will stop paying and ransomware becomes futile. The exisiting malware that is already on the loose will dwindle with time
 
I am not really a computer person so I tend to think a few steps back from the technical. I had to give it real thought when we were literally one click away from being a victim
 
I partitioned the hard drive and figured out how to get everything, including the eMails, into the new D Drive - and routinely copy everything on that drive onto one of two USB hard drives in turn. The important but constantly changing files, like the accounts and personnel files are also backed up daily overnight online. I figured this is the logical response to an attack - format the hard-drive and put the data back, its got to be cheaper than paying criminals
 
I generated an encrypted file container of a set size for all email attachments between officers of my company. This adds a level of data security but it also allow easy recognition of improper attachments. I wondered if there was a method of filtering attachments, like there is emails, ie if the attachment isn't called *** and is not *** Mb auto delete it

I am sure its possible to automatically remove hyperlinks in email messages too, this is my next task ...

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