Attorney General Rokita is Warning Hoosiers about Ransomware for Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Attorney General Rokita is warning Hoosiers about ransomware before the end of Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October.

Ransomware is a type of malware that locks a victim’s data or device and threatens to keep it locked, and sometimes the cybercriminal even demands the victim pay a ransom to have their data unlocked.  

With cyberattacks on the rise, ransomware has skyrocketed to become one of the most popular cyberattack techniques.

Attorney General Rokita’s Office and the FBI are offering the following tips to stay safe from ransomware attacks:  

• Data and systems need to be backed up regularly. Businesses should keep a copy offline isolated in air-gap systems.  

• All data needs to be encrypted, including data that is being stored or data that is in transit. All data must also be protected against modifications or deletions.  

• Your systems may be top of the line, but if you outsource digital services to third parties, such as cloud providers or password managers, you must make sure they have a strong ransomware cybersecurity strategy in place. 

• Trusted anti-malware software is critical to detect phishing attempts, malicious files, links or websites, and any malware that might breach your first layers of security. Anti-malware solutions can rapidly flag, alert, shut down, and remove ransomware malware before they can do any damage. 

If you believe you are a victim of a ransomware hacking attempt, you can contact Attorney General Rokita’s staff by visiting in.gov/attorneygeneral or calling 1-800-382-5516. You can also report suspected cybercriminal scams to the FBI at ic3.gov.