What Do I Do if I have CryptoWall or CryptoLocker?

I am surprised how many people are still calling with CryptoLocker problems.   I have gotten three calls in the past two days from people who have had infected/encrypted Cryptolocker files for as long as three months and they are just now dealing with the issue.  At this point in time I am not even sure paying the ransom will work for victims as the CryptoLocker network was taken down a couple of months ago by international law enforcement and with CryptoWall users only have 30 days to comply with the ransom demands.

So what options do you have if you are like these recent callers?

What Do I Do if I have CryptoWall or CryptoLocker?2014-10-13T21:22:18-07:00

How Do I Stop Being a Hostage to IT and the Six Reasons We Feel Like a Hostage?

Over the years we have seen many new clients come to Alvaka Networks feeling like they are hostages to Information Technology.  These people feel this way for many different reasons.  Most often the person feeling this way is the CFO, Controller, CEO, COO, IT manager or an IT technician for the most part in that order in terms of frequency.

Why do they feel that way?

It is usually because their systems were:

1.       Poorly designed

2.       They don’t work right

3.       The system is insecure

4.       No one knows what the last guy...

How Do I Stop Being a Hostage to IT and the Six Reasons We Feel Like a Hostage?2020-05-28T15:18:08-07:00

Electronic health records ripe for theft

The only difference in healthcare is that the large breaches have not gotten the sensational, but appropriate coverage credit card breaches have gotten.

Three other interesting quotes:

1.      As health data becomes increasingly digital and the use of electronic health records booms, thieves see patient records in a vulnerable health care system as attractive bait, according to experts interviewed by POLITICO. On the black market, a full identity profile contained in a single record can bring as much as $500.

2.      “Criminal elements will go where the money is,” said Wah, who was the first 

Electronic health records ripe for theft2014-07-15T01:03:09-07:00

HIPAA consulting and the channel’s ethical responsibility

Kevin is a featured writer for TechTarget.  Here is is latest column: _________________________________________________________ A few months ago, I wrote an article about the practice of non-attorneys consulting on HIPAA business associate agreements. After talking with scores of people about the [...]

HIPAA consulting and the channel’s ethical responsibility2020-06-09T23:54:19-07:00

HIPAA business associate agreement consultations could be unlawful

Here is a controversial article written recently by Kevin McDonald for TechTarget. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Under federal law, the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule extends to a class of business entities (i.e., health plans, health care clearinghouses and [...]

HIPAA business associate agreement consultations could be unlawful2020-04-29T22:44:01-07:00

Some Good Questions and Answers on Backup and Disaster Recovery

1. Where should small businesses start with disaster recovery, whether or not they already have a DR plan in place? What is the first question the small business owner needs to ask?

I recommend starting with determining RTO and RPO.  If the small business owner starts here he or she will be off to a good start with the DR plan.  What are RTO and RPO?

•         RTO – Recovery Time Objective, the time between the disaster and when the system has been made operational again.  Why is this important?  Different businesses have different costs associated with

Some Good Questions and Answers on Backup and Disaster Recovery2014-04-29T23:01:20-07:00

Opportunities abound for providing HIPAA compliance services

As many security solution providers struggle to find compliance opportunities, there is a great opportunity in supporting compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).Even though the comprehensive laws intended to protect patient and health care data are [...]

Opportunities abound for providing HIPAA compliance services2014-04-11T17:48:00-07:00

6 signs that you need a new IT strategy

1. Key IT constituencies are expressing dissatisfaction

2. Shadow IT is growing

3. Your IT strategy has diverged from the company strategy

6 signs that you need a new IT strategy2014-04-10T01:09:22-07:00

HIPAA-compliant cloud storage services: Due diligence is key to survival

Many VARs are looking to profit from health care-related cloud storage services. But with profit comes responsibility. Whether you build your own or offer another’s service, the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for [...]

HIPAA-compliant cloud storage services: Due diligence is key to survival2020-04-29T22:38:59-07:00

Today on Linked I celebrate 32 Years in…

Today I am getting many congratulations on LinkedIn from friends.  It is 32 years ago I got started in what we today call IT.  Here is what I wrote back to them: Thanks everyone. It has been and continues to [...]

Today on Linked I celebrate 32 Years in…2017-09-18T00:43:25-07:00