Monday Buzz: Joining Forces Against Ransomware

Ransomware is notoriously tough to deal with—especially if you’re the one stuck with a computer full of encrypted files.

Fortunately, some of the smartest minds in the computer-security world are joining forces with law enforcement to offer help and information for those who might need it.

No More Ransom  (opens in a new tab)—a public-private partnership between Intel Security, Kaspersky Lab, Europol, and the Dutch National Police—hopes to offer the public a one-stop shop for battling these kinds of attacks when they happen. Beyond information resources, the site offers a handful of specific decryption tools for different types of ransomware, such as the infamous CryptXXX variant. The organization also released a tool of its own to fight the Shade trojan, which encrypts some files with extensions that refer to the legendary TV show Breaking Bad.

The group emphasizes, however, that the main goal is to educate the public about ransomware risks. One key point: You should never pay the ransom, as that would only make things worse and encourage future bad behavior.

“Awareness is key as there are no decryption tools for all existing types of malware available to this day,” the groups said in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “If you are infected, the chances are high that the data will be lost forever.”

Where They’re Headed Next

#ASAE  (opens in a new tab) Names Future Host Cities for 2018 through 2022 @ASAEannual  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) https://t.co/Ai5hBvzWEh  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/CB9Hyjbaa9  (opens in a new tab)

— ASAE Annual Meeting (@ASAEannual) July 25, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

The ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition has visited many destinations and is heading to Salt Lake City next month and Toronto in 2017. So what comes further down the road? On Monday, ASAE announced its Annual Meeting host cities for 2018-2022:

• 2018: Chicago
• 2019: Columbus, Ohio
• 2020: Las Vegas
• 2021: Dallas
• 2022: Atlanta

“We had seven cities that were finalists in our selection process, and each one did a fantastic job,” ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham, IV, FASAE, CAE, said in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “The proposals submitted by the winning cities exceeded our expectations.”

As an attendee, which city are you looking forward to the most?

Other Links of Note

Quote of the day. “[T]he internet is an unforgiving place for yesterday’s great idea, and Yahoo has now reached the end of the line as an independent company,” Vindu Goel and Michael J. de la Merced write in the New York Times about Yahoo’s sale to Verizon  (opens in a new tab).

The importance of blogging. Eric Lanke of the National Fluid Power Association is a rare example of an association CEO who frequently blogs. Why does he keep at it? Well, his latest blog post explains  (opens in a new tab).

What apps should be on your iPad? Lifehacker has a list of its favorite apps over a wide swath of categories. Is your favorite on it?  (opens in a new tab)

(iStock/Thinkstock)