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Old 06-07-2016, 07:22 PM   #1
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Default University of Calgary pays $20,000 ransom for their encrypted files.

Lol!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06...somware_crims/

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Administrators at the University of Calgary, Canada, have caved in to criminals and paid a $20,000 ransom to decrypt their computer systems' files after getting hit by a malware infection.

Last month, the university fell prey to ransomware, which installed itself on machines, scrambled documents and demanded cash to recover the data. Since they obviously weren't running decent backup procedures, the administrators have agreed to pay up in Bitcoins.
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Old 06-07-2016, 07:24 PM   #2
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That will teach them.
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:07 PM   #3
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It's been a bad year for the University.
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:13 PM   #4
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I'd extort way more than that. The university is swimming in money.
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:42 PM   #5
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You really, really have to suck at your job to let this happen.
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:43 PM   #6
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Am I the only one surprised that it was only $20k?
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:43 PM   #7
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Don't they teach people to be IT guys? Why don't they have decent IT guys?
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:44 PM   #8
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cryptolocker strikes again
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:46 PM   #9
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lol
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:47 PM   #10
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20k for a major university? Guess my ultimate retirement plan of extorting CP went down the drain.
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:50 PM   #11
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that program really is a mother ####er though
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Old 06-07-2016, 09:10 PM   #12
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Wonder if this has anything to do with previous cutbacks? No idea how well funded UofC It dept is.

I'm sure it was quickly analyzed, and deemed cheaper to pay the ransom than pay staff and OT to fix it. Plus the guaranteed loss data from a backup restore and downtime.So...value for money?
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Old 06-07-2016, 09:13 PM   #13
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Wonder if this has anything to do with previous cutbacks? No idea how well funded UofC It dept is.

I'm sure it was quickly analyzed, and deemed cheaper to pay the ransom than pay staff and OT to fix it. Plus the guaranteed loss data from a backup restore and downtime.So...value for money?

NASA was also hacked. Sometimes no matter how good your software is or how experienced your IT department is you can't do anything about these sophisticated hackers.
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Old 06-07-2016, 09:40 PM   #14
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NASA was also hacked. Sometimes no matter how good your software is or how experienced your IT department is you can't do anything about these sophisticated hackers.
No man, this isn't true, sorry.

Cryptolocker is easy to remove/fix for any business that takes backups. It's just file encryption.

I can't believe they paid.
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Old 06-07-2016, 09:47 PM   #15
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Yes, but how stale is the backup? 12 hours? What's that worth in restore time and lost data? Some of these also encrypt the backups for months before popping up.
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Old 06-07-2016, 10:00 PM   #16
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No man, this isn't true, sorry.

Cryptolocker is easy to remove/fix for any business that takes backups. It's just file encryption.

I can't believe they paid.
Replacing the encrypted files is easy. The PITA is keeping it from getting in because they basically recreate it constantly
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Old 06-08-2016, 04:46 AM   #17
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Thou Shalt Make Backups.

Also, redundant backups, if possible.
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Old 06-08-2016, 08:46 AM   #18
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The first person that solves this problem and gets rid of the infection gets their degree instantly.

It doesn't matter if your a first year or 8th years student. Get rid of this thing and your done with university,

Oh and quit opening porn attachments at school.
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Old 06-08-2016, 09:51 AM   #19
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Wonder if this has anything to do with previous cutbacks? No idea how well funded UofC It dept is.

I'm sure it was quickly analyzed, and deemed cheaper to pay the ransom than pay staff and OT to fix it. Plus the guaranteed loss data from a backup restore and downtime.So...value for money?
My assumption is that this is key. I worked for a few years at the University and the IT departments I was in contact with were so strapped for help that a lot fell through the cracks. I think a big problem for IT is that a lot of what they do is confusing to the standard manager, so they get cut often. When I worked there there was tons of stuff they should have been doing and wanted to be doing, but when you've only got enough people to keep the place from falling apart, things like backups get pushed aside.

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The first person that solves this problem and gets rid of the infection gets their degree instantly.

It doesn't matter if your a first year or 8th years student. Get rid of this thing and your done with university,

Oh and quit opening porn attachments at school.
Considering there isn't a governing body that seems able to do anything about stuff like this, I'd imagine you'd be entitled to a whole lot more than a degree.

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Old 06-08-2016, 10:51 AM   #20
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No man, this isn't true, sorry.

Cryptolocker is easy to remove/fix for any business that takes backups. It's just file encryption.

I can't believe they paid.
Is it confirmed to be Cryptolocker? There are newer types of ransomware around as well.

Also, and correct me if I'm wrong, but backups won't help you much if you backup on the same hard drive where the malware is?
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