It seems that the bad guys figure out ways to be more malicious by the day! A relatively new example that’s cropping up is a malware threat called CryptoLocker. Ransomeware itself isn’t new, but new variations on the theme continually plague the vulnerable.
The scariest thing about this particular virus is that it really does what it claims: it literally encrypts your hard drive’s files and locks them! Many fake warnings have popped up trying to scare people, but there was always a way around it. However, this one is different. Supposedly, only paying the ransom money will allow you to receive the unlock key to recover your files.
The malware pops up a “pay page,” giving you a limited time, typically 100 hours, to buy back the private key for your data, typically for $300.
The best piece of advice is this — always, always keep a current backup! If this terrible thing were to hit you, you’d be able to wipe the drive and get your data back from the backup.
Prevention, in this case, is significantly better than cure:
- Stay patched. Keep your operating system and software up to date.
- Make sure your anti-virus is active and up to date.
- Avoid opening attachments you weren’t expecting, or from people you don’t know well.
- Make regular backups, and store them somewhere safe, preferably offline.