1 Ransomware: The latest craze

Well, not really. Ransomware has been around for over 10 years but has been gaining in popularity as the hackers’ latest way of extorting money from you.

So, what is it? As the name implies, it’s malware (malicious software) which has kidnapped your computer and is holding it for ransom.

It works like this. You click on an unsuspecting link from a web page, social networking site, email message or (lately) Skype instant message. This launches a program which then starts to encrypt/lock some or all of the files on your hard drive. In the meantime, you are shown a fake web page from the FBI, CIA or some other agency to make you believe you’re in legal trouble and could even face prosecution. They’ll use scare tactics such as telling you that your computer contains illegally downloaded files ranging anywhere from music and movies to child pornography. They will then ask you to pay money for them to unlock and restore your files.

As you’ve already probably guessed, they won’t keep their promise. They’ve got your money and now can, and possibly will, sell your credit card info to other hackers and make even more money off of you. They have no reason to “help you out” so, don’t think for a minute that they will help even if you pay them.

How can you protect yourself from malware? Keep all of your computer software up to date. Make sure that you have up-to-date firewall and antivirus software installed on your computer. Most importantly, don’t click on any suspicious links from web pages, emails or instant messages.

What if you’ve already been infected? Download and install security software such as:

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to detect and remove most traces of malware
CCleaner to clean up potentially unwanted files and invalid Windows Registry entries
Panda Cloud Antivirus Free edition to detect, clean and protect