Malwarebytes and "Really Dark Friday"

It's an excellent product for sure, and I haven't bought the program yet but that price makes it an even better deal. A product that really works.

One thing about the "Crypto Locker"

If you send them money it can be traced, You then send them a bill for like 100 Billion dollars, Or rather the government does for you.. Along with some nice non-cyber braclets (A matched pair) and free transportation, and lodging.

wa8yxm wrote:

If you send them money it can be traced...

I thought they were using Bitcoins, which in itself, are extremely difficult to trace.

wa_desert_rat wrote:
Over the years I have used Malwarebytes a lot to ferret out viruses and spyware on Windows machines. Has anyone wondered why the very same program can be used on every iteration of Windows from XP to 8.1 to get rid of malware? It's because MS has never actually fixed its security problems... just added a few work-arounds on top of it... but I digress...

Malwarebytes is pretty effective even as a "free" utility. Its "Pro" version is even better and can pro-actively stop the famous "CryptoLocker" virus (which encrypts your files and then demands money in order to decrypt them... but at least it does decrypt them) among many others.

I got an email from them this morning. They are having a 40% sale on their Pro version in celebration of "Really Dark Friday". I like a company that doesn't just produce a good utility but also has a sense of humor. It's $14.95 through Monday.

https://store.malwarebytes.org/342/purl-BLACKFRIDAY?spMailingID=7480568&spUserID=MTgzNTM2MDYwNzES1&spJobID=100848325&spReportId=MTAwODQ4MzI1S0

I have no connection with whoever developed Malwarebytes other than the fact that they produce a decent product and don't seem overly greedy.... and I like that.

Craig

Thanks for the info,I purchased and downloaded the pro app today,I had the free version,but this was a good deal.

1492 wrote:

wa8yxm wrote:

If you send them money it can be traced...

I thought they were using Bitcoins, which in itself, are extremely difficult to trace.

They use two methods of payment: Bitcoin and one other. Both extremely difficult to trace. And, anyway, that's the FBI's job, not mine. :)

Craig

Malwarebytes is an excellent anti-malware tool, and I've been using the free version from the beginning. The Pro version adds active real-time detection. But so do popular free AV packages, and many have updated their protection for malware such as CryptoLocker.

In reality, no AV suite can guaranty 100% protection against malware, including CryptoLocker. All they can do is update their engines/signatures to detect new variants, as soon as they are identified in the wild and a solution can be implemented. And none that I know of can easily, sans brute force, decrypt files locked by CryptoLocker. That's what makes it so dangerous. More so if you're relying on an anti-virus or anti-malware app as your lone protection.

Personally, the seriousness of CryptoLocker has resulted in reevaluating my own system security, and I've made a few changes. Yet, the best defense is making regular system backups which are easily automated. Either using Windows built-in backup, or other freely available backup apps using external drives or cloud storage.

Second, by taking advantage of Windows built in shadow copy, and better use of System Restore. Though in reality, not likely to be as an effective restore solution as full system backups.

And though Virtual Machines look appealing, some are becoming vulnerable to attack from specialized malware, and are also subject to compromise. In which case, it's still wise to implement some type of "updated" active real time AV software, but does not necessarily mean that a paid version will be any more effective than a free edition.

We use Malwarebytes at work on all of our Windows machines and it works great. Personally, I have become frustrated with MS Windows and just switched to the Mac Book Pro. Love it so far.

Thanks for the tip. I finally decided to get the upgraded version of a program I've been using free for years.

1492 wrote:


Personally, the seriousness of CryptoLocker has resulted in reevaluating my own system security, and I've made a few changes. Yet, the best defense is making regular system backups which are easily automated. Either using Windows built-in backup, or other freely available backup apps using external drives or cloud storage.

Second, by taking advantage of Windows built in shadow copy, and better use of System Restore. Though in reality, not likely to be as an effective restore solution as full system backups.

Backups are okay but if they are automated that implies a storage device that is connected and writable and therefore is vulnerable to CryptoLocker. The two businesses that were hit and called me for help said that they were sure that it was an email attachment and that it took up to 5 days for the malware to actually begin to encrypt their files. "Shadow copies" make an image of the entire computer; including any malware that is laying low.

The only completely secure way to work on the Internet is to use a live CD (or live SDcard or live USB flash drive) with NSA's Linux on it that is write protected. Files can be saved on media that is connected for the transfer and then immediately disconnected. Email is done via remote servers using a browser (gmail, etc.)

The live CD method is not very convenient for businesses; but it's entirely feasible for individuals who simply do Facebook, Skype, email and web browsing.

Craig

What you didn't mention is what files CryptoLocker targets? They're virtually all limited to popular Office suite formats, photo/graphics files, and a few popular application data formats. I've read nothing that targets system image backup files from most any backup software manufacturer? Can you point to any credible source of any such files encrypted by CryptoLocker?

Shadow copy or Volume Snapshot Service(VSS) creates backups of "changed" files, which can be restored "individually" quite easily in WIN 7, and which is turned on by default on the system drive. You need to enable the service on other partitions or attached drives. This can be useful in restoring "specific" files affected by malware. But not as reliable or thorough as image backup files.

Finally, if you're concerned about a more isolated environment when surfing the net, it's not necessary to boot to Linux live CD if using Windows. A user can log into Window "guest" account, also enabled in WIN 7, that does not allow applications to make permanent changes to OS or system files, or allows local files to be stored permanently. Once you re-boot, any changes made in a guest account are returned to its default settings.