Dyfed Powys Police supports Global Action To Tackle Malicious Software – MALWARE

Dyfed Powys Police is echoing the computer safety advice issued by the National Crime Agency following the successful disruption of the way infected computers communicate with criminals, in this instance BotNet. (P2PZeus and Cryptolocker)

DS Rob Gravelle, Dyfed Powys Police Cyber Crime Unit said

“The internet has radically changed the way we work and socialise. Computer users of all ages are surfing the web, interacting with new acquaintances and sharing information but as the popularity of the internet continues to rise criminals are turning technology into a tool for crime. By adopting a few simple precautions you can make you and your family safer online.”

Malicious Software (Malware) is any software used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information or gain access to private computer systems and is installed without the computer users’ knowledge, often by clicking on a suspicious link in an email for example.

Following the disruption by the NCA it is an ideal window of opportunity for members of the public in Dyfed Powys to clean infected computers. The advice below is particularly pertinent now, but holds in general as sound advice to concerned members of the public.

Everyone (including businesses) should:

• Update their operating system ASAP, and check for updates weekly. These are free.

• Install/Update Anti-Virus or Security Software. This can be free for basic protection. It is recommended this is updated daily or ideally set to update automatically.

• Use caution before clicking on unsolicited email attachments or hyperlinks… they are one of the most common ways to get infected.

• Visit http://www.getsafeonline.org/ and run a clean-up tool of your choice. This excellent and trustworthy site provides plain English explanations, advice and host links to companies who have supported this activity and are offering clean up tools for free.

• If people discover they have been infected with malware they should be advised to report it to http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/. They should also notify their bank and change all their passwords. They should be offered advice and support as any other victim of crime, especially if they have lost money or irreplaceable data.

• General password advice: the strongest passwords tend to be phrases, which are easier to remember, with a mixture of numbers letters and other characters.

• If anyone has had their computer encrypted by CryptoLocker, there is no way police can decrypt the files. Only the decryption key held by the criminals will do this.

• Anyone who has been infected (whether they’ve paid a ransom or not) should ensure they still update their operating systems and run Anti Virus/Security software on their vulnerable machine.

• For CryptoLocker, prevention is better than cure. Users should backup copies of their most important files to a non-networked system (e.g. record on DVD or external hard drive that is unplugged once backed up).

• Beware cold-calling from people offering to fix or remotely clean computers. This is invariably a scam. Always be sure of who is calling and if any doubt don’t grant them access to your computer. None of the legitimate tools designed to protect users require remote access to the computer. Members of the public should always seek advice from http://www.getsafeonline.org/ before taking unfamiliar steps.

• At present this specific malware only affects Windows computers, but diligence is advised on all operating systems (including smartphones) as criminals seek to exploit every available platform.