The New York Times Personal Tech section (May 12) has an article about ransomware and how to prevent it:
Dodging the Computer Kidnappers
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An up-to-date antivirus program on your PC or Mac can help warn you of attempted ransomware infection.
Q. My computer’s antivirus program is going nuts lately blocking something called “Locky.” What is this and why am I getting so many alerts about it?
A. "Locky" is a type of malicious software known as ransomware, which as the name suggests, encrypts the files on your computer and will not release them until you give a hefty payment to your unseen attackers.
Ransomware ... has become decidedly more prevalent and large-scale in recent months....
Locky is aimed at Windows systems and has been spreading this spring through waves of phishing spam messages. The ransomware can arrive on your computer hidden in an email attachment, like an infected Microsoft Office document (one that prompts you to enable Office macros) or as a bit of JavaScript code tucked inside a .zip file. (Because it can better evade some antivirus programs, the JavaScript version has been increasingly widespread as of late.)
You can take basic steps to protect yourself from ransomware infection. Keep your antivirus program and operating system up-to-date with the latest security patches. Do not open any unsolicited file attachments from unknown senders — or even unexpected attachments from people you know, in case their computers have been compromised.
Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...Disable macro commands in Microsoft Office files you receive by email and if possible, log into your computer with a more limited standard account instead of the all-powerful administrator account.
Some ransomware can encrypt files on drives attached to the PC, so back up your computer’s files regularly, and keep a copy of the backup on an unconnected external drive or server.
Ransomware is not just a Windows problem. Mac users should also be on guard against the OS X/KERanger-A ransomware and its variants, which can extort a high price in exchange for getting your computer’s files back.
By Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...
An up-to-date antivirus program on your PC or Mac can help warn you of attempted ransomware infection.
Q. My computer’s antivirus program is going nuts lately blocking something called “Locky.” What is this and why am I getting so many alerts about it?
A. "Locky" is a type of malicious software known as ransomware, which as the name suggests, encrypts the files on your computer and will not release them until you give a hefty payment to your unseen attackers.
Ransomware ... has become decidedly more prevalent and large-scale in recent months....
Locky is aimed at Windows systems and has been spreading this spring through waves of phishing spam messages. The ransomware can arrive on your computer hidden in an email attachment, like an infected Microsoft Office document (one that prompts you to enable Office macros) or as a bit of JavaScript code tucked inside a .zip file. (Because it can better evade some antivirus programs, the JavaScript version has been increasingly widespread as of late.)
You can take basic steps to protect yourself from ransomware infection. Keep your antivirus program and operating system up-to-date with the latest security patches. Do not open any unsolicited file attachments from unknown senders — or even unexpected attachments from people you know, in case their computers have been compromised.
Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...Disable macro commands in Microsoft Office files you receive by email and if possible, log into your computer with a more limited standard account instead of the all-powerful administrator account.
Some ransomware can encrypt files on drives attached to the PC, so back up your computer’s files regularly, and keep a copy of the backup on an unconnected external drive or server.
Ransomware is not just a Windows problem. Mac users should also be on guard against the OS X/KERanger-A ransomware and its variants, which can extort a high price in exchange for getting your computer’s files back.
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