QNAP warns of ransom attack: NAS users need to act swiftly

The Taiwanese NAS manufacturer QNAP has again issued a security warning to customers. This means that unknown people attack NAS devices that are unprotected and accessible via the Internet. Now there are instructions on how to protect yourself. “Take immediate action to secure your QNAP NAS!” Wrote the manufacturer in a message in its Security News Blog.

QNAP explicitly warns against ransomware that targets NAS devices accessible via the Internet. Reports of such attacks had increased in recent weeks. Just a few days ago we reported about the eCh0raix Trojan, which appeared more and moreover the Christmas holidays and encrypted NAS devices.

QNAP has now issued direct warnings to customers to protect NAS devices exposed to the Internet from ransomware and brute force attacks. There are instructions on how to do this – and according to the manufacturer, this should happen immediately. “QNAP urges all QNAP NAS users to follow the security settings below to ensure the security of QNAP network devices,” the Taiwanese NAS manufacturer said in a press release released today.

Disable the port forwarding function

Users should check whether their NAS is accessible via the Internet by opening the Security Counselor for QNAP NAS devices and looking at the settings there. The manufacturer informs: “Your NAS is exposed to the Internet and at high risk if the message ‘The system administration service can be reached directly from an external IP address using the following protocols on the dashboard: HTTP’ on the dashboard.” QNAP advises customers to disable the router’s port forwarding feature and has provided instructions on how to do this. However, QNAP does not provide details of why this warning was issued.