The W: drive will be unavailable Friday, Dec. 27, and Saturday, Dec. 28, when Learning and Technology Services will update folder permissions on the drive to minimize the risk of a CryptoLocker-type exploit.
Why is this happening?
Over time, permissions on the W: drive have become very inconsistent. Unfortunately, this makes the millions of files stored on the W: drive vulnerable to a CryptoLocker-type exploit. To limit the exposure of W: drive data to malware and other security risks, LTS will be resetting the W: drive permissions to a more consistent and secure state over a two-day period (Dec. 27-28). During these two days, the W: drive data will be unavailable.
What happens after the permissions have been reset?
Once the permission reset process is complete, LTS will work with you to customize the permissions of your folders so that they are ready for your classes and other collaboration needs. Please contact the LTS Help Desk at 836-5711 for any permission questions or requests. We will have extra staff on hand to assist with managing folder permissions.
About CryptoLocker
The CryptoLocker exploit (and others like it) encrypt any accessible files, essentially making the files unreadable. If a student, staff or faculty member's files were to become infected with CryptoLocker, the results could be devastating: Any network drives mapped at the time could become encrypted and completely inaccessible to the rest of campus. While we do make backups on a regular basis, this could still leave many directories unavailable for hours or even days as we restore over nine terabytes of backed-up data. This is why we are taking precautionary measures to minimize the risk of this happening on our campus.
