Ransomware

What it is:

Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to your computer or your files and displays a message that demands payment in order for the restriction to be removed. The two most common means of infection appear to be phishing emails that contain malicious attachments and website pop-up advertisements.

What it can do:

There are two common types of ransomware:

• Lockscreen ransomware: displays an image that prevents you from accessing your computer
• Encryption ransomware: encrypts files on your system's hard drive and sometimes on shared network drives, USB drives, external hard drives, and even some cloud storage drives, preventing you from opening them

Ransomware will display a notification stating that your computer or data have been locked and demanding a payment be made for you to regain access.  Sometimes the notification states that authorities have detected illegal activity on your computer, and that the payment is a fine to avoid prosecution.

What you can do:

Do not pay the ransom. These threats are meant to scare and intimidate you, and they do not come from a law enforcement agency. Even if you submit payment, there is no guarantee that you will regain access to your system.

If your computer has been infected (i.e. you are unable to access your computer or your files have been encrypted), contact a reputable computer technician or specialist to find out whether your computer can be repaired and your data retrieved.

In order to lessen the impact of a ransomware infection, be sure to regularly back-up your data with a removable external storage drive. It's possible that your files might be irretrievable; having an up-to-date backup could be invaluable.

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