FAQ

EDUCAUSE maintains a list of legitimate download services.

Infections can be devastating to an individual or organization, and recovery can be a difficult process that may require the services of a reputable data recovery specialist.

US-CERT recommends that users and administrators take the following preventive measures to protect their computer networks from ransomware infection:

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users’ access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it. Ransomware variants have been observed for several years and often attempt to extort money from victims by displaying an on-screen alert. Typically, these alerts state that the user’s systems have been locked or that the user’s files have been encrypted. Users are told that unless a ransom is paid, access will not be restored. The ransom demanded from individuals varies greatly but is frequently $200–$400 dollars and must be paid in virtual currency,...

Credentialed scans are scans in which the scanning computer has an account on the computer being scanned that allows the scanner to do a more thorough check looking for problems that can not be seen from the network. Examples of the sorts of checks that a credentialed scan can do include checks to see if the system is running insecure versions of Adobe Acrobat or Java or if there are poor security permissions governing a service. Information Security Office (ISO) runs Nessus scanners that are capable of running these credentialed scans; however, without accounts on the local machines, we...