How to avoid a Ransom Virus and other virus attacks

This was the advice that was provided by the IT consultants of Denoon Sampson Ndlovu attorneys. Of course, Denoon Sampson Ndlovu Inc. does not by any means guarantee that this advice is failsafe and that it will conclusively protect the user. There are too many unknown risks. It is anticipated the due to the fact that ransom virus software is being made available to anyone who wants to purchase it on the Dark Web, that we will be subject to repeated risks of virus attacks for a long time in the future. Please take the threat of a virus attack seriously and please comply with the following. This advice presupposes that the company has an off-site and off-line hard drive back up, that preserves and protects preceding and clean, daily backups.

• Do not open any unexpected/unsolicited emails. Just delete them. Nobody can get upset if you didn’t reply to an email. If it is genuine, the person will probably phone you or send you a more personalised enquiry.
• Do not plug anything into a USB plug on your desktop computer – this means – do not plug in any memory sticks and any similar devices.
• Do not charge your cell phone, from your desktop. Not many people realise that a virus can be picked up on a cellphone and then imported on to the office network via a USB plug /port. Rather plug your charger into the wall.
• Do not connect your phone to the office Wi-Fi.
• If you have no choice and you have to use What’s App, close your connection as soon as possible: do not leave anything minimised.
• Try not to browse anywhere on the Internet. If you have to, do not leave your connection minimised. Close it immediately after you have used it.
• It is important to understand that if you go onto the Internet, you could actually leave the door wide open to any fraudster because, (depending on the level of sophistication of your anti-virus software), you might actually bypass your anti-virus software. If you are leaving anything minimised; you are potentially leaving the door open to bypass our antivirus software.
• Those who work via remote connection on the VPN must bring their computers in tomorrow for Andre to check and update.
• Experts on BBC and CNN have advised that patches and updates from Windows must be installed as soon as possible.
• Older software such as Windows XP and Windows 7 are more at risk.
• Do not go online to check your bank statement, without using the bank’s proprietary private one-time password Dongle or Token.
• In the case of Nedbank one has to use the dedicated key/Dongle to access what it calls a “forbidden or secret website.”