Monthly Archives: May 2017

Developing Now: Increased Malware Attacks

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There is a massive malware/ransomware attack sweeping across the internet today. (Mostly hitting Europe, but there are some US reports)

Ransomware is an attack that encrypts (locks) all the files on a computer and requires a payment to regain access to them. Or forced to restore from a backup.

The attack takes advantage of a Windows vulnerability that was patched and an update released through Windows Updates back in March.

  • Do not open emails from any unknown sources, and question any links or attachments from known sources. (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP)
  • Make sure your computer has proper anti-virus and that it is up to date
  • Make sure your computer is up to date with Microsoft Windows updates

If you want to learn more, simply go to google and do a search for ‘wannacry’. All the top hits are for this story that is breaking today (5/12/2017).

If you have any questions or need assistance with making sure your system is properly patched, please call.

Google Docs email phishing scam

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Yesterday (5/3/2017) we started getting reports that users were receiving an email, usually from someone they know, inviting them to a shared Google Doc with a link to the Doc. If the link was clicked the user was brought to their Google account and asked for permissions to their email account and contacts. If access was allowed, the email would then be sent to all those list in their contacts. At this point no other malicious activity has been reported. Google says they shut down this third party app (called Google Docs) within an hour of learning about it.

If you received the email, and if you followed the link and allowed access, we would advise to change your Google account password and you need to revoke access to the Google Docs connected app.

To revoke permissions, visit your account page here: https://myaccount.google.com/permissions and look for Google Docs in the list. Click on it, and choose Remove, then Ok. Or follow along with this video on how to log in and check your account.

And as always, don’t forgot to practice safe email procedures.

  • Never open an attachment or click a link in an email from someone you don’t know
  • If you receive an email with links or attachments from someone you do know, stop and question it. Even if you were expecting something. Verify from them this was intentionally sent

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please contact us right away for support.