Ransomware Hacking Tactic

Ransomware, which can freeze up your company’s entire computer network, has been on the rise in recent years. Ransomware often takes the form of an email that seems legitimate, with an attachment in a format such as MS Word or Excel. If the recipient clicks on the attachment, it releases the malicious software into your computer network, freezing it up until you pay the hacker for the key to de-crypt it. The latest version of this ransomware, called “Locky,” is using the familiar PDF document format to introduce the ransomware. With this new threat, the PDF contains a Word document, which the recipient is asked to open. The user is told that the document is protected, but that “macros” need to be enabled to view the document. When the user clicks to enable the macros, the ransomware is downloaded. While many companies have educated their employees about clicking on Word or Excel attachments from unknown senders, they may not know that PDF documents can also introduce ransomware.  Be sure to educate everyone in your organization about this new threat!