New Ransomware Holds iPhones and iPads Hostage

Before we get into the Apple incident, CryptoLocker infections still seem to be rising. Popular forums get new postings all the time about what to do when you are infected, and as a search term on Google it rose 65% over last week. Current estimates are that CryptoLocker infected more than 234,000 computers worldwide, including more than 100,000 in the United States, the Justice Department said yesterday.

And here’s the next thing. After ransomware hit Windows PCs and Android phones, some other miscreant has found a way to pull a similar scam for Apple devices.

A large number of people, for the moment still mostly located in Australia and the UK, are reporting they have come under an unexplained attack that holds their iPhones and iPads hostage and demands they pay a $100 ransom.

The attacker who used the name Oleg Pliss exploited the “Find My iPhone” feature to launch the attack. It is not clear yet how the attacker got hold of the iCloud accounts used to lock the devices. There are currently four theories being discussed on various support forums.

First is that in a classic phishing attack, people were lured to an Apple
phishing site (of which there are 2,261) and entered their credentials.
Second is the option of a data breach at Apple, (for which they are overdue)
but Apple denies that its iCloud service has been breached.
Third is the possibility of DNS poisoning where people entered the correct
Apple domain name but were subverted to a fake site, and entered their credentials there.
The most scary one is that the hackers are possibly in possession of user
names and passwords from another databreach like eBay or Target, and attacked
users that use the same credentials for their iCloud account.

Seeing the fact that the attack was somewhat geographically contained, this limits the options to possibly the DNS poisoning theory but the jury is still out on that.

One user from Melbourne, said: “I was using my iPad a short while ago when suddenly it locked itself. I went to check my phone and there was a message on the screen (it’s still there) saying that my device(s) had been hacked by Oleg Pliss and they demanded $100 USD/EUR (sent by paypal to lock404(at)hotmail-dot-com) to return them to me.”

David Emm, from security firm Kaspersky Lab, said: “It seems likely that cybercriminals gained access to Apple ID credentials. By using the credentials to access an Apple iCloud account, the attackers can enable the ‘Find My iPhone’ service – this is not only able to locate a lost or stolen device, but also to set a passcode preventing third parties from accessing the personal data stored on the smartphone.

“This is clearly a form of ransomware, previously only seen on PCs and, recently, on Android devices – although in those cases malware was used to trigger this behavior. This campaign is further proof that cybercriminals are adopting criminal business models developed for the PC, applying them to new areas and fine-tuning their methods.”

Source: “Cyberheist News”

To Cloud Or Not To Cloud?

.

If you are like many of our clients, you’ve probably heard some of the buzz about “The Cloud” — the IT version, that is — not one of those puffy white objects up in the sky.

So, what exactly is “The Cloud”? And should you go there? Cloud computing is simply a way to “rent” the computing you need — by getting it over the Internet — instead of buying your own hardware and software. A lot of businesses like “The Cloud” because they only pay for what they need and they don’t have to worry that their IT investment ever becoming obsolete.

You Already Use the Cloud

The thing is … cloud computing has already been around for a while. If you keep track of customers on Salesforce; if you bank online; or if you share photos with friends on Facebook, you are already using the cloud. Probably the biggest cloud application of them all is Google.

Some business owners are nervous about moving critical data or applications offsite to an outside vendor. On the other hand, the benefits can be very big and include:

• Disaster protection. What is not stored at your place of business cannot be lost there if disaster were to strike.

• Pay as you go pricing. If you are like most businesses, you have to manage cash carefully, so not having to write big checks to pay for “forklift” equipment or software upgrades can be attractive.

• Scalability. Cloud based services can grow or shrink depending on how much you need. So if demand in your type of business is cyclical or seasonal, you don’t pay for computing you don’t need during slower periods. And if you need more computing power during a busy period, it’s there when you need it.

• Fewer distractions. Putting your services in the cloud means that owners and managers can spend more time focused on their core business. Whether to cloud or not to cloud is also not typically an all-or-nothing decision. For example, you don’t have to store all your data there; you can just use the
cloud for backup. Some applications may make more sense running in the cloud — others maybe not so much.

So, is cloud computing right for you? We can help you find out. To claim your free Cloud Readiness Assessment, simply e-mail us with your name, title, company name, address and phone number at info@virtualitmanagers.com or give us a call at 305-574-2169.

Offer ends June 30, 2014

You can also click here to read more about our Cloud Computing Solutions offerings.