Security Alerts

Homeland Security Alert (Dec 2016)

US-CERT recommends the following actions to contain and remediate Avalanche infections:

*            Use and maintain anti-virus software – Anti-virus software recognizes and protects your computer against most known viruses. Even though parts of Avalanche are designed to evade detection, security companies are continuously updating their software to counter these advanced threats. Therefore, it is important to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. If you suspect you may be a victim of an Avalanche malware, update your anti-virus software definitions and run a full-system scan. See Understanding Anti-Virus Software for more information: http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-005

*            Avoid clicking links in email – Attackers have become very skilled at making phishing emails look legitimate. Users should ensure the link is legitimate by typing the link into a new browser. See Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information:  https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-014.

*            Change your passwords – Your original passwords may have been compromised during the infection, so you should change them. See Choosing and Protecting Passwords for more information: http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-002

*            Keep your operating system and application software up-to-date – Install software patches so that attackers cannot take advantage of known problems or vulnerabilities. You should enable automatic updates of the operating system if this option is available. See Understanding Patches for more information:  http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-006

*            Reset any user passwords that may have been entered on a compromised host.

*            Use anti-malware tools – Using a legitimate program that identifies and removes malware can help eliminate an infection. Users can consider employing a remediation tool. A non-exhaustive list of examples is provided below. The U.S. Government does not endorse or support any particular product or vendor.

ESET Online Scanner

https://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner/

F-Secure

https://www.f-secure.com/en/web/home_global/online-scanner

McAfee Stinger

http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/index.aspx

Microsoft Safety Scanner

https://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx

Norton Power Eraser

https://norton.com/npe

Trend Micro HouseCall

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/