{"id":1031,"date":"2013-12-19T14:32:01","date_gmt":"2013-12-19T18:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikemartinezonline.com\/blog\/?p=1031"},"modified":"2013-12-19T14:32:01","modified_gmt":"2013-12-19T18:32:01","slug":"cryptolocker-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikemartinezonline.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/19\/cryptolocker-news\/","title":{"rendered":"CryptoLocker news"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay folks, here we go again. More ransomware is spreading and it can hit you. [Ransomware comprises a class of malware which restricts access to the computer system that it infects, and demands a ransom paid to the creator of the malware in order for the restriction to be removed. Some forms of ransomware encrypt files on the system’s hard drive (cryptoviral extortion), while some may simply lock the system and display messages intended to coax the user into paying.]<\/font><\/p>\n

Ransomware\/Malware that encrypts your data and tries to sell it back to you, or else, is not new. In fact, one of the earliest pieces of malware that was written specifically to make money, rather than simply to prove a point, was the AIDS Information Trojan of 1989. That Trojan scrambled your hard disk after 90 days, and instructed you to send $378 to an accommodation address in Panama.<\/p>\n

Enter the latest Menace \u2013 CryptoLocker<\/strong>. If you have become seriously infected and do not take IMMEDIATE remedial steps, there is, sadly, not much you can do [unless you have full \u2018offline\u2019 backups as I am always ranting about]<\/u> but pay up!<\/p>\n

This is getting some recent much needed attention by the press. Here is a recent short article<\/a>. A Google search will turn up hundreds more.<\/p>\n

The endgame is the same in all cases: if you have a reliable and recent backup, you’ll have a good chance of recovering without too much trouble.<\/font><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prevention, in this case, is significantly better than cure:<\/font><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n