Post by Ausfan on Oct 20, 2014 12:37:35 GMT
Heard of Cryptowall ?
I hadn't heard of it until it had corrupted my husband's computer last weekend.
It is called ransomeware - because it hijacks your computers files and folders, and you have to pay a ransom to get them back.
It gets into your computer just like any other malware - but you don't know it is there until you receive a ransom note.
In the meantime, it is infecting every file - photos, documents, program files.
The way it works is this:
It copies all your files, the adds encryption to the copied files - then it deletes your originals !
If you want to be able to access your files again, you have to pay get the decryption code.
If you do not pay, your files are lost forever.
The only way to pay is with bitcoins - which most people have never heard of. They use this system beacuse it is pretty much impossible to trace.
If you pay the ransom, which can be any amount from $200 to $5000, you get the code and retrieve your files.
Over 20,000 Australians have been hijacked so far and it is getting worse - not to mention the hundreds of thousands around the world.
Why have we heard nothing about this ?
My husband lost all his photos and documents - and it took me hours to remove Cryptowall from his computer - then it left his computer in such a mess I had to almost wipe everything and start from scratch.
The only protection from this is to have all your files and folders backed up on an external hard drive - backing up to icloud or similar does not protect your files.
The ransomware comes from a variety of sources and is expanding. Spam emails were the start - ads on major websites are now the main area. I even read that Amazon is not safe from it.
Up until the end of Ausgust, over 6 billion files had been hijacked worldwide.
This is the worst and most malicious ransomware ever created. Most malware gives the impression your computer has a problem, but is only bluffing to get you to pay for antivirus programs - this new one is no bluff. It does not interfere with your internet browser or anything like that, so it takes a lot longer to realise there is a problem on your pc.
Protect yourself now !
Backup everything on your computer to an external hard drive - it's the only way to stop these creeps from wiping out everything.
I hadn't heard of it until it had corrupted my husband's computer last weekend.
It is called ransomeware - because it hijacks your computers files and folders, and you have to pay a ransom to get them back.
It gets into your computer just like any other malware - but you don't know it is there until you receive a ransom note.
In the meantime, it is infecting every file - photos, documents, program files.
The way it works is this:
It copies all your files, the adds encryption to the copied files - then it deletes your originals !
If you want to be able to access your files again, you have to pay get the decryption code.
If you do not pay, your files are lost forever.
The only way to pay is with bitcoins - which most people have never heard of. They use this system beacuse it is pretty much impossible to trace.
If you pay the ransom, which can be any amount from $200 to $5000, you get the code and retrieve your files.
Over 20,000 Australians have been hijacked so far and it is getting worse - not to mention the hundreds of thousands around the world.
Why have we heard nothing about this ?
My husband lost all his photos and documents - and it took me hours to remove Cryptowall from his computer - then it left his computer in such a mess I had to almost wipe everything and start from scratch.
The only protection from this is to have all your files and folders backed up on an external hard drive - backing up to icloud or similar does not protect your files.
The ransomware comes from a variety of sources and is expanding. Spam emails were the start - ads on major websites are now the main area. I even read that Amazon is not safe from it.
Up until the end of Ausgust, over 6 billion files had been hijacked worldwide.
This is the worst and most malicious ransomware ever created. Most malware gives the impression your computer has a problem, but is only bluffing to get you to pay for antivirus programs - this new one is no bluff. It does not interfere with your internet browser or anything like that, so it takes a lot longer to realise there is a problem on your pc.
Protect yourself now !
Backup everything on your computer to an external hard drive - it's the only way to stop these creeps from wiping out everything.
