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© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
How To Prevent Computer Viruses
Beware of Ransomware
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Meet the tech world’s new public enemy #1: RANSOMWARE
Computer viruses and malware have always been a major concern for businesses. In the past, the worst
damage an infected computer could suffer was slow performance.
Unfortunately there is a new threat that infects without warning. Without the right safeguards, it can
give your company a severe financial headache.
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Ransomware emails are surprisingly well-worded, and appear to come from a legitimate email address and domain name. However, the email usually comes with a with an attachment.
1. Opening the attachment will cause a VBScript to execute.2. This infects the machine with the ransomware.3. The ransomware will encrypt your files so they cannot be
opened until you comply with the ransom demand, usually a sum of money.
4. The longer you wait, the larger the ransom you have to pay.
What is Ransomware?
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Example of a Ransomware Message
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Hot Tip!
At first glance, the emails that arrive
infected rarely raise any red flags because they appear to come from
someone, or some company, you know.
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Everyone Is At Risk
Ransomware is different from traditional malware and viruses of the past. Before, the computer was not truly vulnerable unless it had an internet connection.
Now, ransomware can infect your
computer when it is offline. Any files your machine can access, whether stored on your hard drive or an external (USB) device, are vulnerable. This means you could be in airplane mode and still get infected.
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Step One: Backups Every business, no matter how
small or large, needs secure and dependable backups.
Ransomware programmers exploit the fact that "3 in 4 organizations don't have a formal disaster-recovery (DR) plan in place" in case their unreliable backup fails (Symnatec).
With secure, dependable backups you can recover your data without falling prey to a ransom payment.
How To Prevent These Infections
For more information on securing your business with the right backup solution, read more here:
http://www.esozo.com/veeam-data-security-and-backup-solutions-for-businesses
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Step Two: Update Regularly Keep your computer up to date with the latest security patches from
Microsoft® and frequent updates to your installed applications. In any business, keeping computers current and protected can be a
daunting task. Unfortunately, it only takes one out of date computer to exploit and
infect your entire company.
How To Prevent These Infections
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Step Three: Be SafeFollow best practices on system maintenance to minimize your chances of infection. Educating your employees and monitoring their online work
habits will limit your company’s exposure. Make sure the proper security settings are in place on all
machines. Ensure each user knows which websites and applications are
safe to use.
How To Prevent These Infections
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Malware “Software that is intended to damage or disable computers and
computer systems.” Phishing “The activity of defrauding an online account holder of financial
information by posing as a legitimate company.”VBScript “VBScript ("Visual Basic Scripting Edition") is an Active Scripting
language developed by Microsoft that is modeled on Visual Basic. It is designed as a "lightweight" language with a fast interpreter for use in a wide variety of Microsoft environments.”
Botnets “A network of private computers infected with malicious software and
controlled as a group without the owners' knowledge, e.g., to send spam messages.”
RELATED TERMS
© 2016 eSOZO Computer & Network Services • www.esozo.com
Your company's internal IT staff is great at what they do. But are those resources enough to handle all the business's
needs?
Whether you need to outsource some of the daily tasks that your experienced team is handling, or you need to quickly launch a new project, eSOZO can fill in the gaps. If you are ready to move to the cloud, need to save resources, and don’t know where to start, eSOZO can help. We can manage your IT needs on your budget and your terms. We handle the staffing and help create a consistent monthly fee to keep your budget under control.
eSOZO Computer & Network Services200 Route 31, Suite 202 • Flemington, NJ 08822
888.376.9648 • [email protected] • www.esozo.com
Contact eSOZO Today!
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