One of the common attacks against many organizations today is ransomware. I'm constantly surprised when I see friends and they tell me they've been attacked, but the incident never made the news. I think many people would be upset with businesses if they knew the extent of attacks, but I also think that this would force more organizations to implement better security if shareholders and customers were aware of the incidents. This might even get employees and others to be more careful about the things they click and do, though that might be wishful thinking.

In Illinois, in the US, there is a guy that is fighting ransomware and helping out both organizations and individuals. For free, which is much better than paying the fee, something plenty of organizations have done. Michael Gillespie runs ID Ransomware, a site that helps you determine what type of attack you've had. It can also possibly give you or generate a key that will allow you to decrypt your files.

This man does this in his spare time, while working as a computer support person. It's an amazing story, and one that is a little sad. Here is this man that doesn't want to charge, and wants to help, but has struggled financially while doing so. Things have gotten better, and more people are supporting his efforts, including Emsisoft, who has hired him part time.

If you get struck, it might be worth a visit to ID Ransomware and see if you can get some help. If you do, convince your boss to donate some payment to support Michael's efforts. It's a good cause, and certainly cheaper than paying a fee or losing lots of work while you try to sort out the problems.