Protecting yourself against online attacks
By John Bell, Director, IT, Faculty of Humanities
The vast majority (93%) of phishing attacks now contain so-called ‘ransomware’; hostile code crafted to seek out certain types of files on your computer and encrypt them to the extent that they can only be recovered by acquiring the proper encryption key.
This type of attack usually features a ransom note of some kind to alert the user as to how they might recover their data.
While this is a danger to all of us, there are steps that can be taken to protect yourself. For example, following ‘Email Best Practices’ is a great start for managing personal and organizational electronic messaging and diminishing malware threats that arrive via email. In addition some supplementary practices can assist with protecting yourself against ransomware attacks specifically.
Protecting Yourself and Your Data Against Ransomware Attacks
1. Backup Your Data!
It is critical that you back-up your data and optimal if you back it up and then disconnect whatever media you have used for the back-up. Ideally, you should back-up to some kind of network storage that is then further backed up by I.T. Specialists (the Faculty of Humanities administrative shares are a good example). If you are working on a personal computer, backing up to an external hard drive or flash drive is a good practice but to protect against an ransomware attack, the drive should be detached after a completed back-up. This way, if you do fall victim to a ransomware attack, your data is safe and can be restored with your system to get you back up and running.
2. Try to Minimize the Flow of Attachments From External Sources
The most serious threat your data is your email ‘Inbox’. It is therefore a good idea to try to minimize or eliminate processes that might require you to receive attachments from unknown sources. For example, if you (or your administrative staff) are posting for a job opening, require the applicants
to submit their application in MOSAIC so that you are not opening a slew of attachments from people you don’t know. If you simply create a posting and ask folks to send you their applications/resumes via email, you become an easy target for cyber criminals.
It is always a good practice to avoid the unnecessary use of attachments but if you do need to send a document, it is a common courtesy to mention in the body of the message that you have included an attachment and state the name and file extension of the attachment (PDF, DOCx, etc.). This lets the recipient know that you intended the document for them and it has not been injected a malicious actor.
3. Do Not Open Attachments From Unknown Sources
While this may seem almost impossible, you do have the option to attempt to contact the sender and verify that the attachment is both legitimate and safe. You should reserve the right NOT to open an attachment from unknown sources – particularly if it is completely unsolicited.
4. Unsure? Just Ask
The local IT support groups at McMaster can assist with I.T. Security issues and will provide prompt feedback on potential threats. If you are unsure about an email or an attachment, please contact your local IT support group promptly BEFORE clicking email links, providing credentials links or opening suspicious attachments. They are here to help and a quick email or phone call might just save your data.
Contact McMaster IT Security for more information about this and other internet threats:
email: c-it-security@mcmaster.ca
Web: http://itsecurity.mcmaster.ca/
Twitter: @McMaster_ITSec (https://twitter.com/McMaster_ITSec)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcmaster.itsec
Telephone: x28299
