Posted on 10/24/2013 11:15:25 AM PDT by brityank
CryptoLocker: A particularly pernicious virus
Online attackers are using encryption to lock up our files and demand a ransom and AV software probably wont protect you.
Here are ways to defend yourself from CryptoLocker pass this information along to friends, family, and business associates.
Forgive me if I sound a bit like those bogus virus warnings proclaiming, You have the worst virus ever!! But theres a new threat to our data that we need to take seriously. Its already hit many consumers and small businesses. Called CryptoLocker, this infection shows up in two ways.
First, you see a red banner (see Figure 1) on your computer system, warning that your files are now encrypted and if you send money to a given email address, access to your files will be restored to you.
(Excerpt) Read more at windowssecrets.com ...
Format C:
and proceed is in order for me.
Knowing where the virus is likely to be hiding would be useful.
will this affect Linux?
if someone has this Virus and they pop in a Knoppix or whatever live disc, will they be able to go into the Windows registry files and delete this beast?
I hope that none of my fellow Mac users get or remain confident about our (to date) avoidance of these problems. Yes, Macs are more resistant BUT all it takes is someone persistent enough to find a vulnerability. I do FREQUENT external drive backups using Newer Technology Voyager SATA drive and rotating 3 HDs. Still, I have a fear that some morning I will wake the Mac and see a message such as this. Yes, I follow the sanitation rules but still you never can be 100%. What a world, the more capable we are, the worse we can be hurt!
Encrypted files are encrypted files. Linux will not help/.
But using Linux would reduce the risk of getting infected, to begin with. Note that the target vector is an “exe” (executable) that would require Wine to run on Linux. And WINE by nature would limit the infection to a sandbox: you wouldn’t lose any of your regular files to encryption.
Yes but doing Linux after the fact won’t help
That jumped out to me also.
As mreerm pointed out and I listed above, there are many paths through Open Office, various Media files, and .pdf-types to have others be so complacent and dismissive of the potential for future damage.
Yes. Like putting a lockbox in a lockbox.
Since that's obviously extortion, can't the company that receives the money be tracked down and busted?
A friend who is a computer consultant told me about this virus about a month ago.
I’m surprised there hasn’t been more news about this. It’s one of the worst viruses my friend has seen.
The FBI should be all over this. Oh, wait! There’s a lot more money in going after the Silk Road.
They are pretty clever about it. They only accept payments from prepaid credit cards to an online payment processor that seems hard to track them through.
Thanks brityank.
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