Hardwood Floors April/May 2019

By Jodi O’Toole

proper preventative actions have been employed, the damage can beminimized or even avoided. Even though a reversal of the damagewas possible in the experience I had, days of productivitywere lost as the les were restored. Cryptojacking To understand cryptojacking, we have to rst understand cryptocurrencies, the actual target of themalware. Cryptocurrencies are digital forms of payment, aka “computermoney,” and bitcoin is themost commonly known. Cryptocurrencies are not connected to the government, making their value una ected by in ation or other government actions. Cryptocurrencies

are also quite volatile, with the value of bitcoin dropping from nearly $20,000 in December 2017 to $3,200 just one year later. To increase the size of one’s digital wallet, one can “mine” the currency, meaning that he or she can perform a function that is part of the built-in regulatory process since cryptocurrency is not regulated by the government. Cryptojacking is when cybercriminals use a network of infected systems to “mine” the currency.Mining alone is not illegal; however, when cybercriminals infect others’ systems tomine for cryptocurrency, that is quite illegal.

Ransomware Simply put, ransomware ismalicious so ware (malware) that locks the les on your systemand then noti es you of its existence, giving you details regarding whomyou can pay to unlock your les. I observed a real-life ransomware a ack and was almost in awe as I watched it lock entire folders of les at a time. Although the user who clicked on the link noti edme immediately of the a ack, the malware quickly spread throughout a network of les before it was eventually stopped and reversed. It is possible to recover fromransomware, evenwithout paying the ransom. If the

How do these things happen? Most malicious so ware comes from infected links in emails, documents, websites, and thumb drives. As individuals who use these methods of communication, we are the best ones to stop them in their tracks.

EXAMPLE OF AN INFECTED EMAIL

When presentedwith an email of this nature, it’s best to ask several questions before proceeding: • Did I ask for this email?

• Do I know the sender? • Is it necessary I click on this now?

If any answers are “no,” then there is no reason to click. It’s muchmore likely that it’s a virus than not.

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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