I know i harp on this a lot but I need to tell you a little more about the crypto virus. I’ll stop blogging about it when it goes away!

To Pay or Not to Pay

That is the question. As you know by now, the crypto virus is ransomware. The hackers lock up your files and hold you hostage to a ransom that you need to pay. So should anyone hit by CryptoLocker pay up? I guess it depends. Do you have a backup of your data? What is your data worth to you? Is a few hundred dollars worth the headache? You’d be in the same situation if your laptop got stolen — it just feels worse because you know that there is someone out there who has got this key that can take the headache and pain away. If your data is worth $300 to you, it must be very tempting to pay up, just in case it works,

According to Symantec, around 3% of people hand over money in the hope of getting their data back. You can do that, but remember who you are dealing with…criminals. . There is no guarantee they’ll send you the key, and if they know you’re susceptible to blackmail what is to stop them from doing it again? You have now become an easy target.

Keep in mind that every penny you pay them will fund their endeavors to target other victims. If even a few victims pay then the cyber criminals will think they have got a viable business model and keep infecting people and asking for ransoms. If nobody pays, they may stop these attacks. If no one pays, and there is no money to continue to develop the product, they will have to go out of business.

They key here, it to protect yourself. Don’t click on strange links, emails or pop up windows. If you do, and the virus hits, make sure you have a good backup. If you do, you can just simply restore. If not, you either lose the data, or pay the ransomer. Not great choices.

If they virus hits, and you have no where to turn, contact Tier3MD. We are happy to assist you.