About Me

Name: Dataccount Inc.

Location: New York, New York, United States

View my complete profile

Scammers have been trying to find a way to illegally separate you from your money on the Internet has been a fact of life since businesses have connected to the Web. There are many types of viruses, Trojans and worms that these cyber criminals use, including ransomware. This is one of the most insidious. Ransomware is a computer malware which holds a computer system, or the data it contains, hostage against its user by demanding a ransom for its restoration.

Ransomware use is on the rise, and the criminals behind it are particularly aggressive and dangerous. Once ransomware gets into your PC, it starts to do several nasty things at once. First, it will either lock out vital start up component, or start encrypting most general files and programs. After this step is complete, ransomware will show its user interface in the innocuous guise of an Anti-Virus software. It will look convincing, complete with system diagnosis tools and its own browser window. The user interface will open and prompt you every time you try to access an infected file. The new 'Anti-Virus" trial on your computer will tell you that you can buy a two year (or lifetime) license for this project to have it 'clean up' the viruses on your computer.

DON'T BE FOOLED! This 'trial Anti-Virus" program is part of the virus itself. While paying this fee, they will temporarily decrypt the files on your computer. And once that it done - you're held hostage, paying again and again and again. The criminals using this racket have made over $150 million from more than 3 million unsuspecting users - and you are only one mouse click away from joining the list.

What can be done to protect you and your business from these cyber criminals? Well, if you have been hit by ransomware, physically disconnect it form the Internet to avoid having your personal information sent back to the criminal. Then, if possible, go to a different computer to search for solutions. BEWARE since the sophistication of these scammers is on the rise, they conduct search engine poisoning to trick the unsuspecting consumer. This involves performing search engine optimization and stealing legitimate organization's logos for use on the scammer's own site. Thus, when googling for their particular piece of malware their site will appear high in search engine rankings, leading you to purchase and download their ransomware again!

To Combat This:
Enter the name of the rogue software on well-known anti-virus Web sites. Many antivirus firms offer free cleaners you can download or place onto a USB drive and run on your infected computer.

Whatever you do, do not pay the ransom. These cyber criminals are not only holding your computer for ransom - they also want your credit card information.

If you think you have been infected or would like to learn more about protecting your vital information, Dataccount can assist with AV advice, software, protection, and fixing infected computers. But the best defense is a being proactive - so, if you ever have doubts about downloading anything from the Internet, you probably should not.

further reading on this can be found at Red Tape Chronicles

Labels: Anti Virus, malware, PCs, ransomware, Tech tips