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  • Computer virus

    Because we keep running through dispatchers, I've been covering both the dispatch job at work and my job. It's crazy at times but I can multitask and juggle like no one else here so it's not all bad. Because of all of this, I've been sitting at the front desk and not my desk lately which I'm thankful for. Yesterday my coworker was on my computer (which is fine, we all use the different computers) and he says something's wrong with it. I go over and take a look and there is a pop up taking up the whole screen saying that the FBI has locked the computer and oh, for $300 you can get it unlocked. There's no getting out of the pop up, it actually has locked the computer. We shut it down and waited for IT to show up. The guy says it's the worst virus they've been dealing with for a while. Someone on campus had a bunch of stuff non backed up and took the risk of paying just to get their computer unlocked. They knew it was a scam but theirs was for $500. It worked for them but apparently it doesn't always.

    Thankfully since I've been working at the other computer, anything I've used in the last 6 months or so has been transferred to this computer or to the server so I can access it from either desk. The only thing I might lose is my newer email archives but that's my own fault for not remembering to back up to my flash drive when I archived last. And of course this happened the day after we just got one of the officer computers back from being rebuilt because of viruses. I was fairly amused about the "official government notice" popup with the KMart logo on it (it's the scam where you have to go buy a moneypack from a local store and use that on the pop up)
    "Man, having a conversation with you is like walking through a salvador dali painting." - Mac Hall

  • #2
    The FBI virus is a scam, but its pretty easy to remove, unless a new variety has popped up. I've cleaned it off a couple of computers, and the steps to do so are fairly available on the web if you search "FBI virus".

    There is another known as Crypto-Locker which is much, much worse. It sneaks in and puts a cryptographic lock on all your files it can. Only then do you get a message on your screen about what has happened, and how to pay to get the unlock code. Oh, and it travels to any network drives you have mapped, too, so it can get ugly fast.

    That one, you can lose everything if you don't pay, unless you have stuff backed up to something not attached to that PC. The Crypto guys are so cheeky that they even have a "customer support" website to help. For what its worth, they do seem to unlock stuff after getting paid. So their honest crooks, I guess. I still would shoot them in a dark ally if I found them. My place got hit via a convincing fake email spoofing our voice message-to-email software, but fortunately I've been anal about keeping the backups running, and no one lost more than a minor bit of work.

    The good news for most folks is that Crypto seems to target businesses, as that's the folks most likely to be desperate enough to pay the large fee quickly.
    The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
    "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
    Hoc spatio locantur.

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    • #3
      Not sure what the situation is but I don't think it hit the network folders as the spot on the server I've been using is still fine. Our IT guy seemed doubtful about managing to save the files on the computer itself though after having dealt with this virus elsewhere in the college before. Whether the virus is doing something weird or he's not competent, I'm not sure. We do get a lot more viruses than we ought to though.
      "Man, having a conversation with you is like walking through a salvador dali painting." - Mac Hall

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      • #4
        I got hit at work with the FBI virus. Our IT department couldn't do anything with it so they just shipped me a new hard drive. I queried my (the 16 year old) son about it after I had contacted IT and his response was that it was very simple to remove, in fact, had removed for other customers at his after school job. Gosh, I wish I could get him hired on at my work....

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        • #5
          I too got hit with the FBI mal-ware thing last Sept ( I posted about it in Tech forum here at CS)

          If handled correctly it is relatively easy to remove either by scanning with the proper programs/tools OR using a previous Windows System Restore point.

          The Cryptolock thing is VERY scary. It is not just businesses that are being hit (at least that is the way it is trending over at the Bleeping Computer Forums) AND the drop package can be from an e-mail attachment or in a MS Word/Excel/whatever office program MACRO. most of the major mal-ware/anti-virus programs now at least recognize the signature and attempt to block its execution. But if you get hit it uses a 2048 bit RSA (I think) encryption key and that is very tough to crack. The early versions were riddled with holes so you could actually find the key in the Registry. now forget it.
          I'm lost without a paddle and headed up SH*T creek.
          -- Life Sucks Then You Die.


          "I'll believe corp. are people when Texas executes one."

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          • #6
            Malware is no laughing matter in the business world.

            Last year, some malware got on The Client's low-side (i.e., 'unsecure') network. (As opposed to the high-side 'secure' network that has no Internet connectivity.) It was so pervasive that they basically disabled EVERYONE'S low-side access while they got it under control.

            When the lockdown went into effect, the ITSD got a few angry calls from people about it. "Why's my account disabled?!" "There's a malware issue. Everyone's account is disabled." "Well, I need my account turned back on! I need that account for my job!"

            Fortunately, after that first day, people stopped calling us about it, unless they were asking "When will it be re-enabled?" "When it's re-enabled. We have nothing to do with it, it's all being handled by Tier 3."
            PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

            There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

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