{"id":168,"date":"2016-03-03T09:26:10","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T17:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/information-systems\/2016\/03\/03\/important-threat-advisory-locky-ransomware\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T23:39:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T23:39:08","slug":"important-threat-advisory-locky-ransomware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/2016\/03\/03\/important-threat-advisory-locky-ransomware\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Threat Advisory: 'Locky' Ransomware"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapman University IS&T has recently become aware of a developing ransomware threat to the campus community. Chapman has already updated university computers with new anti-virus definitions to protect against this specific threat, but users are encouraged to safeguard their personal devices and follow a few helpful tips.
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What is Ransomware?<\/strong>
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\nRansomware is a type of malware that encrypts data on your device and asks the user to pay money in order to get their data back.  This particular piece of malware uses exceptionally strong encryption so there is no practical way to get the data back unless you pay the malware operators.  However, even if you pay the malware operator there is no guarantee that you will get your data back.  This particular variant uses infected Word (.doc, .docx) or Excel (.xls and .xlsx) files to spread the ransomware.
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What is the best way to protect my personal data from Ransomware?<\/strong>
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\nChapman has updated Anti-Virus (AV) software definitions so most of the ransomware can be filtered out on University provided devices.  However, updating your anti-virus may still not be enough to protect your files on your personal devices as malware operators often morph the malware to bypass defection by anti-virus. The most effective way to combat this malware is to simply avoid opening attachments from unknown senders.
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\nA few helpful reminders: <\/p>\n