The virus that holds your files ransom
Viruses have had an interesting evolution. The stages have looked something like this:
- destroy everything, make a big impact, cause panic
- create popups and sell the ads to disreputable advertisers
- hide in order to create denial of service attacks on big sites
- trick users into giving the virus maker money
This most recent type (#4), has been prevalent in the form of fake antivirus programs and fake FBI warnings, and are somewhat easily removed by computer experts.
Cryptolocker is the first of a new type of virus that seeks to get money from computer users. This virus encrypts all of your files (documents, photos, music, etc), then gives you the opportunity to pay the bad guys in order to unlock your files. In most cases, you're given a window of time (around two days) before the key that unlocks your files is deleted. If this happens, the files can never be unlocked. They're gone.
What does this mean for you as a computer user?
- Back up! 3TG has always recommended that all of our customers have a backup plan in place. If you have a good backup plan, a virus like this will have minimal impact on you.
- Use caution. The unfortunate fact of antivirus applications is that not a single one can catch 100% of viruses, and they all miss different ones. Because of this, the #1 protection against viruses is to be a cautious computer user. Don't click on links in emails, and be careful which sites you visit.
If you would like assistance and advice in setting up a backup system, call 3TG. For one computer, a half hour remote support session is usually all that's needed to set up a cloud backup program, and an on-site one hour visit is all it takes for a mixed cloud/local backup solution.
Be safe and back your files up!