We have been hacked and our invoices are now encrypted; is there any way invoice data can be uploade

Therese Melican
Therese Melican Member Posts: 4
Hi,
We have been hacked and our invoices are now encrypted and unfortunatley a backup has not been completed for a number of weeks. Is there any way invoice data can be uploaded without rekeying? We have the PDF copies from our emails.
We are using Reckon Accounts Plus 2018.
Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • gazza73
    gazza73 Accredited Partner Posts: 802 Accredited Partner Accredited Partner
    edited August 2019
    Careful about your next move.   

    Chat over the situation before moving more machines into a potentially damaged/encrypted environment. 

    What is not clear from your request,  is what in fact is encrypted?  Is your Company File in RA PLUS 2018  encrypted?  Or do you mean you've exported or printed invoices to PDF's and those exported or PDF 'files'  (separate to your RA 2018 PLUS company database file)  are encrypted in isolation?

    You need to ensure that you  have a clean environment (ie: machines cleaned up from being further or still infected ) from whatever has 'encrypted'  your machine(s).

    If you have BACKUP copies,  you need to ensure those BACKUPS are not  on any disks/memory sticks or cloud based systems that are connected to the infected machine(s)   in case the contamination spreads further into those recovery files.

    As for uploading invoices into an older backup copy of the RA 2018 PLUS file - No,  I don't believe so.    RA lets you export lists of customers, items  but not 'transactions'  like orders, invoices, cheques etc....   and certainly does not unscramble PDF content in any way that can be uploaded/inserted.

    I'm afraid you'll need to eradicate the cuase of the problem,   secure your BACKUPS onto some other independent machines (So long as those BACKUPS are not also corrupted or contain anything that can trigger further contamination to other innocent party machines),   and then do a restore from a spare COPY of such backups, to ensure you don't risk using the only backup you own.   IE:   get hold of some independent machine that is clean, and unimportant,  and use that spare machine (not on a network!)  to practice copying your BACKUPS onto some other MEDIA (even a few memory sticks)  and use those new copies as the way to restore/recover your cleaned up real machines.       You want to 'contain' the situation, in other words.


    Gary


  • cosmic
    cosmic Reckon Developer Partner Posts: 1,073 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    YES, possibility , if you have PDFs , using cosmic bills app , if you do not find any other solution here , you may call me on 0407068942.
    I need to see copies of pdfs 1st, Chandra@cosmicinnovations.com

    Cosmic Accounting Group

    Accountants and Tax Agents 22397009

  • gazza73
    gazza73 Accredited Partner Posts: 802 Accredited Partner Accredited Partner
    edited April 2019
    Good on you Chandra - did not realise you had some software that might assist in this situation.  I'll let you chat with Therese.  Just be sure the files being dealt with, are clean though.

    Gary
  • cosmic
    cosmic Reckon Developer Partner Posts: 1,073 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    Yes thanks Gary, yes this is mandatory that the data and the machines are fully clean and that's a some expert IT needed ,virus software etc. Before the pdfs can be scanned 

    Cosmic Accounting Group

    Accountants and Tax Agents 22397009

  • Therese Melican
    Therese Melican Member Posts: 4
    edited July 2020

    Thank you Gary.
    I have been advised by my colleague who's computer was hacked that the invoices were hacked however l have been unable to get a clearer picture but l think it may be the company file.
    The computer is currently being cleaned and we do have safe backups on USB that thankfully were not connected and are clean.
    I will follow your suggestions re the backup and it looks like l may need to rekey invoices into the system... l thought this might be the case but best to check just in case.  
    Cheers
  • Therese Melican
    Therese Melican Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2019

    Thank you Chandra. I will head over to the Cosmic Bills app to have a look. I will just need to confirm that all the PDF's are completely clean with our IT team first before l email you anything to check.
  • cosmic
    cosmic Reckon Developer Partner Posts: 1,073 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    Cosmicbills on  the web is for only bills pdf , we have not uploaded the app for pdfs for tax invoice , you will not be able to test your  Sales invoice , but the concept is same.
    we can show you demo if you wish to via pc to pc using Any DESK .

    Cosmic Accounting Group

    Accountants and Tax Agents 22397009

  • John Graetz
    John Graetz Member Posts: 1,651 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    Having been through something like this myself, which thankfully was stopped before it went too far, I was aware that anything overwritten by the hacking program will not be accessible without paying up the ransom.  I would even question whether you really do have those PDF invoices from your emails available because everything on your computer is likely to have been affected - it may depend on just where those PDFs were held as part of the emailing process.  In my case, PDFs on the local computer definitely became unreadable.
    John L G
  • Therese Melican
    Therese Melican Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2019

    Thanks John. Waiting to see what the IT team have to say; hoping PDF's are ok but guessing might be in the same situation with unreadable PDF's.