Forbes: by James Lyne –
This kind of malware is now all over the web and your chances of running in to it and being exploited are uncomfortably high. Some of the more widespread examples such as CryptoLocker even include a count down timer which claims if you don’t pay them $300 in 72 hours they will delete the key file so that your data is lost forever.
Imagine this. You are browsing the Internet and all of a sudden your browser crashes and a message appears telling you your files are encrypted and if you don’t have over money you are never getting access to your data again – corporate accounts, irreplaceable pictures of your child, you name it. Gone. The majority of trojans over the last few years have had laser focus on stealing data and money from your computer without you realising. However, there are trojans out there that have surprising and nasty behaviours like encrypting your files with a password you don’t have and demanding money to unlock them. This kind of malware is not new but over the past 18 months it has become significantly more prevalent and the malware authors have written significantly more clever and scary versions.
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