These ain’t your grandpa’s viruses

“Back in my day we didn’t have these computer things.  You wanted to write to someone you mailed a letter. None of this  ‘EEE-mail’ stuff. If you wanted to buy something, you went to the store.  You didn’t hand over all your personal info through a keyboard.”

I don’t consider myself that old and I still remember email being new.  I also remember how threatened we felt by an email link or attached file that might make the screen go black.  Or worse, make you lose a few files.

If only it were that simple still.

Threats of viruses, and worse, ransomware, can absolutely debilitate a company. “Ransomware, you may remember, is a nasty computer virus designed to hold data hostage until you pay a specific fee.”(Ransomware: A malicious gift that keeps on giving) Can you image having your systems locked and all you data held by some cyber pirate until you pay to have it released, or lose it forever?  These attacks are on a global range. They are finding that some aren’t even about the money but the idea of bring a area of transportation, information, and more down to a screeching halt. And I’m sure even the smallest companies and communities assume they are safe.  I mean, who even knows where Idaho is let alone think we have anything of value here.  But just like a cold virus you could be getting while traveling, no one can truly predict the how or when of obtaining this type of threat to your company or organization.

Standard virus protection provided by most new devices may not be enough to truly protect your network from crashing down or being held hostage by some crook looking to make a few (thousand or million) dollars. Having a more sophisticated system in place can literally save your company more than just a tiny headache. If you aren’t sure about your current virus protection, contact your West Valley Technical Service technician to have an evaluation done and suggestion made that could save you from TODAY’S threats.