Warning about Ransomware

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HueyPilotVN

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 5, 2012
Posts
3,275
Location
Lake Havasu City, AZ
I have been getting several FEDEX deliveries lately so I was not surprised to get an email that looked like it was from FEDEX.

When I opened it it said that they could not deliver a package and to click on the delivery details below for information.

As soon as I opened the attachment a large message came up on the screen.

It informed me that all my data files, pictures, and music files had been incripted and I had to go online and buy a certain amount of Bit Coins and send them to an online address to get the instructions to reverse the incription.  If I did not do that within three days the file would not be recoverable.

I looked at the files and they are all incripted.

I would never pay a ransom so I went out and bought a new laptop and software.

I spent much of two days transfering files from another backup laptop to recover as much as I could.  I still lost at least two years of files.

I am posting this to remind all of us to backup our important data every so often.

I hate a thief.
 
HueyPilotVN said:
I have been getting several FEDEX deliveries lately so I was not surprised to get an email that looked like it was from FEDEX.

When I opened it it said that they could not deliver a package and to click on the delivery details below for information.

As soon as I opened the attachment a large message came up on the screen.

It informed me that all my data files, pictures, and music files had been incripted and I had to go online and buy a certain amount of Bit Coins and send them to an online address to get the instructions to reverse the incription.  If I did not do that within three days the file would not be recoverable.

I looked at the files and they are all incripted.

I would never pay a ransom so I went out and bought a new laptop and software.

I spent much of two days transfering files from another backup laptop to recover as much as I could.  I still lost at least two years of files.

I am posting this to remind all of us to backup our important data every so often.

I hate a thief.

Bill,

If you haven't tossed your old laptop, do some research. The decrypt keys for **some** of those ransomware attacks have been found and posted on various sites. There is a slight chance your files could be recovered.
 
Do some searching, it is possible to recover the computer. Try "Ransomware Removal" for multiple options.
 
SeilerBird said:
I sure love my Chromebook. That would never happen on a Chromebook. Chrome can run programs so ransomware is impossible.

I hope this is sarcasm!
 
Probably not. That statement is from the same guy that says posting your SS# won't lead to identity theft. 8)
 
kdbgoat said:
Probably not. That statement is from the same guy that says posting your SS# won't lead to identity theft. 8)
Well it won't. No one has ever been able to convince me of that by telling me step by step how it can happen.
 
Fed Ex will never send you an E-mail.  Neither will bank of ____ or ___ bank,he FBI, the IRS or anyone else who has legitimate business UNLESS you first E-mail them and request a reply.

I do get al ot of E-mails from businesses but they are ones where I specifically requested them (Signed up for the e-mail list).

But if you get an E-mail about Money.. Very good chance it's phony

NOTE: If you can identify (if you have paid for example, the ransom and have the payee listed on your Charge Card statement) prosecution is possible and you can hold them for ransom in a manner of speaking (They go to prison).
 
There are ways of removing these programs. Google it.
I had this one time and it was as simple as starting in safe mode and restoring to a point a few days earlier.
 
I know this seems obvious to Bill (OP) so I'm not trying to add insult to injury.  But as John mentioned, NEVER open an attachment that you are not expecting, from any e-mail address / person that you do not know.  These days, NO business, banks, etc. will send you attachments or request your login credentials over e-mail.  They should direct you to go to their website, log in as regular, and check whatever details need to be checked there.  If the e-mail provides the clickable link (odd but still sometimes happens), be very careful to ensure it is the actual website and not a fake mirror site that is used to farm usernames and passwords.  The actual URL will usually give away the fakers, i.e. instead of www.fedex.com the site link might be www.fedmex.com.hk or something like that, slight misspellings and/or a site based out of another country's URL suffix.

All that said, ransonware can invade through less intrusive means than tricking you to open an attachment.  A couple years ago, my work computer (a hardwired desktop at the office) ended up being infected and I (nor our IT people) ever figured out how.  Luckily the network regularly backed up all files every week or so, but I had to go through hundreds of individual documents and restore to their pre-infected versions.

For home computers, get an external hard drive and copy/backup all your important folders/files at least once a month... then you're only a few weeks behind if you do lose everything somehow.  Windows makes this pretty easy with almost everything directing to Documents/Photos/Videos/Downloads folders now (and you can add custom folders), if you leave those defaults in place.  I would assume Macs have a similar setup?  I don't worry about system images or copying programs anymore, since almost everything is internet based now and can be re-downloaded or re-installed as needed.
 
I completely understand what you are saying. 

I have been receiving all kinds of delivery notifications for internet purchases this last month and I did click on the attachment without proofreading the email address.

What actually bothers me even more than the psychology behind getting me to allow a malicious program past the basic defenses by clicking on it is the lack of any easy way to report and assist in finding these criminals.

I called the FBI office in Minneapolis and eventually got thru to the cyber crimes division.  I offered them the actual laptop which I had turned off after verifying that the encryption had actually happened.  My thought was that it had the evidence including the IP address of the originator of the email.  I know that one person's ransom demand is not the crime of the century.  However the cumulative effect on many does make it a crime worthy of finding the perpetrators.

The lady I talk with simply referred me to the IC3.gov website where you can fill out a report online.

This reminds me of an incident a few years ago when my Credit Card number was used to purchase about $3,000.00 in merchandise and the police would not even take a report because they said that the credit card companies would not prosecute and it was a waste of their time even though the perpetrator was on camera at Sears.

Sorry if this seems like a rant, but I hate crooks.

 
 
I ship and receive a lot of packages via USPS, and UPS. And I do a fair amount of business thru Paypal.
All 3 of these entities will send varying amounts of email during the day, and I have gotten so paranoid that I don't even use my own shortcut icons to go to these respective web sites. I type each one in. So far this has proven to be the safest way to avoid these dastardly deeds.

Hope you recover your files, send the the crook to jail.

Corky
 
I agree with the PayPal thing. It seems like every time I use PayPal, I end up getting one or two scam emails.
 
Sorry you had to experience that Bill.  Had a similar credit card situation a few months back.  Not sure how but two of my credit cards were used to charge almost $4,000 several months ago.  All the charges have been reversed from my accounts but, from the little I know, no real investigation into the theft was done.  Personally I believe credit card companies have factored in a certain percentage of fraud as a cost of doing business, and as long as their usurious interest rates and obscene late fees are adequate to cover the costs, they're happy with the bottom line.   
 
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