ICT Services warns against ransomware

More and more often TU/e employees and students alike are affected by malware and specifically by ransomware. This is a program that is lodged on your computer after the opening of a link or attachment and that makes it impossible to access certain files. The user is ordered to pay money to ‘unlock’ the computer again. On average once a week there is a TU/e employee or student falling victim to this.

ICT Services advises against payment of the extortionists, as experience shows that you are not going to get the files back or that it gets to be known that you are a party that is prepared to pay. In addition, ICT Services advises against opening files that you do not expect. If you suspect that your PC has been infected with Ransomware, immediately switch off your PC by pressing the on/off button for several seconds. Also immediately contact the ICT Services Service desk, via telephone number 2000 or via ictservices@tue.nl.

The Service desk examines what is going on and in case of ransomware it reports this to the police. Files that have been stored on the network disks are backed up regularly so you will not lose those. Files that have been stored only on the local hard disk – also on an external hard disk ifICT Services warns against ransomware it is connected – will unfortunately be lost.

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