Last week a Wisconsin school district was hit with a computer malware called “Cryptolocker”. This malware accesses files on your computer and/or server and encrypts them. The attackers demand money, and if the payment is not received, the malware will prevent the files from being accessed again. The specific act in Wisconsin impacted over 40,000 files at the school district.
This malware is spread through an email that appears to be a tracking notification from UPS or FedEx. This tactic will change soon, so please don't think this has anything to do specifically with shipping companies.
Regardless of the type of message, you should ALWAYS be careful whenever you get an email containing a hyperlink, especially if it's unexpected. The best practice is to NOT click the link in the email, but to type the web address of the company (UPS, FedEx, Amazon, or whatever) into a different browser window. This reduces the threat of a hidden URL.
I don't necessarily think this one is much worse than a lot of other ones. But this serves as a good general reminder to be very careful about what you click.
The school district network has a network security system that should help stop many threats, but your vigilance and caution are the best defense.
Here’s a link provided by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to more information on the malware.
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