When an administrator at Brown University downloaded an invoice she received by email, she did not expect it to kidnap data from her and her colleagues’ computers, encrypt it and demand a ransom for its release.
But ransomware is spreading around the world, up 35 per cent in 2015 according to Symantec, the security software maker, as hackers shift focus from attacking individuals to encrypting entire corporate networks.
Ravi Pendse, chief information officer at Brown, says the victim was “devastated” when she discovered that what was a routine action had caused a problem that took the IT department days to rectify.
“People felt very helpless; they weren’t sure what they had done wrong,” he says, adding that more attachments containing malicious software demanding a ransom were sent to students and employees. Two successful attacks occurred before the IT department warned the university what to look out for and delete For the full article click here
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