If you're a computer user who's found a strange-looking file on your system guiding you to this page, you're in the right place! The file you found is called a ransomware canary. 

For more in-depth technical details about our ransomware canary feature, please read this article.

It is provided by a service called Huntress that is a part of your IT service agreement with Stone IT Solutions. Similar to how miners used canaries in the coal mines to detect harmful gasses like carbon monoxide, Huntress uses these files to detect a harmful type of computer virus called ransomware. If this file is changed, moved, or deleted, it will trigger an alert to the Huntress service, and by proxy your IT professionals, notifying them of the possibility of a ransomware outbreak. It's important that you do not modify the files or their location in any way. They are typically hidden, take up very little storage space, and are not harmful in any way. They are small examples of common file types, such as documents or images. 

As a reference, the file should look similar to the one below. The logo or colors may differ, but this is the basic format: