Florida Bar Ransomware – BEWARE

The Florida Bar is reporting that there are emails from multiple sources circulating about past due invoices, that don’t exist.

If you open one of these emails, a piece of software called ransomware will install on your computer, your computer will lock up – and will not unlock until you pay a ransom to the hackers to regain access to your computer.

Ransomware has been running rampant lately.  This is the first time we are aware of, though, that a state bar has been spoofed.   These emails are NOT from the Florida Bar.  Do Not Open Them!

 

https://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/jnnews01.nsf/cb53c80c8fabd49d85256b5900678f6c/4a8bd50859f3827c85257faf0074f630!OpenDocument

 

Wikipedia describes Ransomware as follows:

Ransomware is a type of malware that can be covertly installed on a computer without knowledge or intention of the user that restricts access to the infected computer system in some way,^[1] and demands that the user pay a ransom to the malware operators to remove the restriction. The cryptovirology form of the attack has ransomware systematically encrypt files on the system’s hard drive, which becomes difficult or impossible to decrypt without paying the ransom for the decryption key. Other attacks may simply lock the system and display messages intended to coax the user into paying. Ransomware typically propagates as a Trojan, whose payload is disguised as a seemingly legitimate file.