Warning: Cryptolocker

Beware people, there’s a very nasty piece of malware currently doing the rounds known as Cryptolocker.

It’s malware that gets onto your PC system (typically) by getting you to click on an email that has been disguised to look like it’s from a trusted source.

Once this happens the Cryptolocker file executes and some of your files and folders are encrypted. Your PC then displays a ransom demand asking for USD$300 for the decryption key in return for the decryption key to your files…

There’s no way to brute force the key as there are billions of password combinations. It’s been estimated that in a period of a little over 8 weeks (Oct – Dec 2013), Cryptolocker raked in $27,000,000 in ransom payments.

Payment is demanded using Bitcoins, a virtually untraceable form of internet currency. So far at Data Clinic we’ve had 3 enquiries asking us to help – the last of which was on a server.

The best thing you can do to avoid being hit by Cryptolocker is to make sure your anti virus / anti malware protection is up to date. Currently, Cryptolocker only targets Windows machines.