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Over the past few months, organizations such as the University of Calgary have paid out tens of thousands of dollars to criminals who had invaded their computer networks and have held their data for ransom. Experts now are questioning the wisdom of paying the ransoms demanded by these cyber-criminals.

Although these criminals took the University of Calgary for $20,000, they were not the only ones on the list. Cowboys Casino and Kensington Wine Market were also victimized by ransomware-wielding hackers.

Experts tell us that ransoms will only get higher, and hijacking of computer data will only get more frequent if organizations continue to pay the demanded ransoms. Simply put, the criminals will continue to do and will expand upon what makes them money.

When interviewed by Michael Franklin of CTV News Calgary regarding the payment of cyber-ransoms, Jon VanDyke of Caffeinated Computer Consulting said,

“I wouldn’t recommend it… You’re paying for it. You’re paying for a crime. You’re paying for the criminal and where that money ends up, who knows?”

Jon VanDyke told Michael Franklin that cyber attacks frequently happen, maybe as often as daily.

The attacks in question occur when an unsuspecting computer user clicks on an email attachment. That email attachment is really a program that installs itself on the user’s computer and goes to work in the background quietly encoding all of the vital files. To get the computer files “unlocked” or “decoded,” the user must then pay the ransom that is demanded by the criminals.

The solution to this challenging problem of cyber attacks, according to Jon VanDyke of Caffeinated Computer Consulting, is to invest in up-to-date security software, having professional IT personnel survey your system for vulnerabilities, and addressing those gaps in security.

Unfortunately, some companies don’t even report the crime. This may be out of concern for their reputation, or for fear that once they have paid the ransome that they may be retargeted.

In that same series of interviews for CTV News Calgary, Michael Franklin discovered that the students of the University of Calgary stood in opposition to the University’s decision to pay the criminals behind the ransomware attack.

Student Niko Hill said, “That money could have gone to better uses; better security in the first place. …obviously, $20,000 is a lot.”

Another student named Ryan Gardner said, “I think we could have spent it better for sure. We shouldn’t be negotiating with cyber terrorists.”

Because ransomware is beginning to become a high-value tool in the hands of criminal organizations across the globe, and because of the recent events surrounding the University of Calgary, educational institutions are on high alert and are determined not to allow this to happen to their institutions.

Unfortunately, ransomware and other insidious cyber-threats are being used to extort money from businesses and educational institutions across the country. Caffeinated Computer Consulting has been involved from the beginning of this threat in proactively preparing their client’s computer systems to fight against these invasions.

To talk to a cyber-security specialist at Caffeinated Computer Consulting, give us a call today at (403) 775-7444 or send an email to info@caffeinatedinc.net. We look forward to serving you.