Opening holiday mail? Be cautious… 11/28/2013

Tis the season to be merry and jolly and full of good cheer, so let’s keep it that way by being cautious when you read your email.  It is sad but many emails and spam will be containing presents for unsuspected readers this year. The mail will contain special gifts like the FBI Virus, Cryptolocker, and many more. The best defense for this is simple but unfortunately not bullet proof, install a good antivirus package, and don’t click on links from people you don’t know.  Now that is simple but even links from people you do know should be treated cautiously.  Often bad things do come from people we know or think we know.  If the text in the message does not look typical of the way messages normally look from those people it could indicate that they are not the originators.  This type of spam is based on someone giving up a list of email addresses intentionally or accidentally.   Classic examples of virus infections found in emails with the subject “You need to see this”, “I Love You”, “This is funny” and then the actually email will only contain a link. I know that when I send a link to a video or a web site I usually personalize it so my readers will know that it was actually from me.

Please be aware the Cryptolocker virus is bad, really bad. It is a destructive virus that encrypts personal files like photos, documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, and other files found in your personal folders.   There seems to be no way to decrypt the files without paying the sites for the key. Recent articles in computer journals have indicated that these sites are now using web based payments like Bit Coins to get there payments and make it easier for people to pay the ransom.  A few things you may want to do to help prevent loss of files for this type of attack include: Backing up files to a local backup source and remote services like Carbonite or Rebit.  Make sure that your shadow copy setting is on in the new versions of Windows as this will possibly give you ways to recover files.  The down side of Shadow Copy is that it appears that if you do not edit the files and they only have an original version they do not seem to always be shadowed.

For more information about Carbonite and Rebit contact E2 Computers at 727-943-2406.  If you purchase your subscription through our store and need assistance installing it our technicians will assist with remote and phone assistance for your initial install. (Subscriptions for this support offer must be purchased at the store not our affiliate links.)

Techie tips for the holidays presented by the Techs at E2 Computers and www.end2endsupport.com.