CryptoLocker Virus is a significant risk to the UK’s small businesses according to the National Crime Agency.  Last week alone 12000 businesses were infected by this particular virus which indicates a worrying move by fraudsters towards ransom ware.

So what is CryptoLocker? CryptoLocker is a Trojan horse form of mailware and is typically distributed via emails which carry an attachment that appears to be correspondence linked to the email message, for example, a voicemail, fax, details of a suspicious transaction or invoices for payment.

Once the user has clicked on the attachment the process of infection starts but you are only alerted when it is too late. Cryptolocker works by encrypting the user’s files on the infected machine and the local network it is attached to. “Once encrypted, the computer will display a splash screen with a countdown timer and a demand for the payment of 2 Bitcoins in ransom for the decryption key.”

Once you have paid the fee you will be sent a private key that allows you to decrypt your files. Obviously the NCA do not recommend paying the ransom and state that there is no guarantee that once you have paid you will be okay.

So what can you do? Hopefully, your business takes regular backups and you could restore your system through them. We have clients who have been targeted by this virus and using their backups we have had them up and working within a matter of hours. Also, having up-to-date anti-virus is also essential. Most of the major providers are coming up with solutions and updates that will stop this virus appearing in your inbox.

We can’t emphasise enough the need for businesses to have a regular backup and antivirus plan in place. The CryptoLocker example shows just how sophisticated and ruthless the fraudsters are becoming. If you have concerns about your security measures please feel free to call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost