Ransomware can hold your PC Hostage — In December, the FBI issued a warning about a broader category of malicious programs called “rogueware.” These programs appear on users’ machines and claim to find viruses, then offer to clean them for $50. Rogueware looks so realistic — complete with Windows-like dialog boxes and scary warnings — that Web users were tricked into sending $150 million to criminals last year, the FBI says.
The new ransomware is similar, but far more aggressive. Once a computer is infected with it, the program does more than recommend a software purchase –it simply won’t let users continue to use their PC until they pay up.
In some versions, users will see a message that says, “Google recommends you install this,” or “Microsoft recommends you turn this feature on- … then, they take over your computer and all of a sudden it looks like you have 900 viruses.”
The latest flavor of ransomware, described on Jan. 8 by security firm F-Secure, doesn’t disable all software, but it does something just as debilitating — it encrypts all the files on a victim’s computer, and forces them to pay for decryption. The program, which calls itself Data Doctor 2010, costs $89.
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