Tech Speak with "The" Geek for June 8, 2016

Last week we discussed one type of computer threat. It gets worse, and this time it’s called ransomware. This one sneaks in and takes over all of the files on your computer. It goes like this. You boot up only to find that all if your files are gone, or cannot open. There is often a single file that opens a web page instructing you to pay a bunch of money for a password. If they actually give you a password, it rarely works. Ransomware can infect a network or a single PC. The results can be heartbreaking. I had a mother bring in a drive with all of her kids pictures encrypted. Luckily, special software fixed the issue.

One version is known as Cryptolocker. This ransomware can invade your machine by sending spam e-mail containing an unusual attachment. It also masquerades as an update for Acrobat, Java or Flash Player. Do not open any email or attachments from people you do not know or from any email address that you have not heard from in a long time. To be safe, do not accept any update software notice that you do not recognize. Also, be careful of how you type website addresses.

If you are infected, there is a city 50/50 chance that a trained expert can recover your data. Cleaning a PC and recovering data is time consuming and difficult, but there are methods to recover your data.

Unless you want to lose all of your family pictures and important files, then take precautions. Purchase a portable drive and backup your important files regularly. Unplug the drive when you are not using it. Always keep your antivirus and security software up to date. Also, be extremely careful when installing any free software.

Be safe out there.

Kelly McCann

M.S.Ed.