Windows 10: Ransomware and data on Cloud - whose responsible

Hi there

Question to any "legal Beagles" here

If say your computer gets infected with Ransomware and say your data on a cloud server (one drive etc) gets scrambled too -- who's responsible for the Cloud data. Obviously you are for your OWN machine but what about data you've held on a Cloud server. In theory since you are accessing this data via Windows the malware could scramble the Cloud data even or (probably) if the data is stored on a Linux server.

Do any of these Cloud services have any recovery / backup for individual users --- I'm sure they backup the operations but with possibly zillions of users regular user backups would seem to be out of the question - the volume of storage would simply be HUGE and the cost to the customer would increase astronomically.

just an inquiry though -- Also I've actually never seen any info on restoring users data files stored on the cloud if a user wants a previous version or accidentally deletes file.

Cheers
jimbo

:)

 

How can my files on onedrive get corrupted by a ransomware attack?

US-CERT Alert (TA13-309A) advises some crypto malware variants have the ability to target, find and encrypt files located within
network drives, shared (mapped network paths), USB drives, external hard drives, and even
files stored on cloud services (cloud storage drives) if they have a drive letter. Although cloud backups typically do not use drive letters, many cloud storage services do not save prior file versions so there’s no way to revert to a clean
file version.

OneDrive is Microsoft's
free data hosting cloud service that allows users to sync files and later access them from a web browser or mobile device. I do not use OneDrive, but from what I understand the source data (like

GoogleDrive) resides locally in the OneDrive folder. If that gets encrypted by ransomware, it will get encrypted in the Cloud service as well since it gets automatically synchronized. However, according to Microsoft, OneDrive
has the capability to restore files affected by ransomware by using Version History or restoring from the OneDrive Recycle Bin...see

OneDrive vs. Ransomware which includes links with instructions for recovering OneDrive-based files using Version History and the OneDrive Recycle Bin.

• How to Deal with Ransomware: How can I remediate a ransomware attack?
• Because Ransomware: OneDrive for Business to Get "Files Restore" Option

 

How crypto ransomware spreads... is it decryptable...should I pay the ransom

Ransomware of the day.

Cerber ransomware

MalwareHunterTeam on Twitter

Edit: The Cerber Ransomware not only Encrypts Your Data But Also Speaks to You

The Cerber Ransomware not only Encrypts Your Data But Also Speaks to You

~

 

Hi Jimbo,
Love your Avatar!
But I have a question(s). What is "The Cloud"? Where is "The Cloud" and, , , who is in charge of "The Cloud".
Is he or she certified and bonded, or is maybe he or she a Convicted Felon? Do we know? How could we ever find out?

Personally I won't trust my personal data, some of it critical, to an unknown person at an unknown location. That's the worse possible security failure I can think of.
All my own data files are saved to two USB Flash Drives that never leave my personal control. Periodically, I burn my most critical data files to DVD's and put them in a fireproof vault. At no time, is my personal data outside of my control.

Here's hoping that you have a GREAT day!
*Cool

 

Jimbo45 mentions cloud servers like onedrive, hopefully that fulfills as an answer to one or more of your questions *Smile

 

Pure speculation using M$ version of OneDrive......the infection would take place on a user computer.
As soon as the infection registered on an individual cloud account, alarm bells would ring and an immediate shutdown would take place.....All efforts would then be assigned by M$ into making a patch that would rectify the problem before once again making OneDrive operational.

 

The cloud provided storage that I use has file versioning capabilities. So, a previous version of the file, prior to encryption should be available on the cloud to restore.

I know that OneDrive and DropBox both do versioning.

 

Check your online or emailed contract, I suspect it mentions even though they may or may not have versioning, they may or may not have user data backups on another server, it probably mentions the end-users are totally responsible for data.

 

Hi there @TechnoMage


Avatar based on 6 Million Dollar man -- I did have a little moving pic (on W7 Forums) butI haven't been able to re-create on 10 Forums so just put up with static picture. I'm actually fairly similar to that and reasonably large so when I go into a computer store or similar in London or mainland Europe and they have these usually tiny phillipino security staff following me around I give them a cold glare and they all scarper !!!!!! as I could probably eat THREE of them for breakfast and still feel hungry !!.

Slightly OT - but if you like Sci Fi -- I love the "Mage Imperator" in the "Saga of the 7 suns" by Kevin J Anderson -- he must have had some scandinavian origin !!!! (Saga is an old Norwegian (Old Norse) or Icelandic word used in modern day English -- Old Norse is actually very similar to modern day Icelandic -- but modern norwegian is a bit removed --rather like Latin and modern Italian.

anyway have a good evening !!!!

Here's some links.

The Saga of Seven Suns - Wikipedia

Species of The Saga of Seven Suns - Wikipedia

Saga - Wikipedia

Cheers
jimbo

 

I doubt any cloud based storage provider will accept legal responsibility for your data. Their Terms of service likely explicitly say you're SOL, even if it's their fault.

But, legal terms aside, even if you could void that agreement, get a court to say they can't abdicate responsibility, it would still be YOUR fault that a virus scrambled your data, not theirs.

Some cloud based storage offers file versioning (like OneDrive and I think DropBox, perhaps others). So you can likely get any files back that way. But, I certainly wouldn't rely on it. Also, chances are, any ransomware will likely scramble the applications that run the cloud service, so chances are that your data will probably safe, since such programs wouldn't be able to run to sync your offline data.

 

As long as your cloud provider has "versioning", you should be fine.

As I understand it, these ransomwares will encrypt anything with a drive letter. So, if your OneDrive or DropBox has a drive letter on your system, the data in it will be encrypted. Versioning will allow you to recover.

If you just have a small amount of personal data, and you don't "install" Dropbox (as an example), but only login online through your browser and manually upload things, then the ransomware cannot touch those files.

 

I have recovered numerous versioned files in the past without trouble. Its dependable.