Ransomware is a growing threat. It is another underhanded method that cyber criminals use to try to separate you from your money.
Typically, ransomware is malicious software that either locks up your computer so you can’t use it or encrypts your documents and files on it so you can’t access them. In some cases ransomware does both and forces you to pay to get back control of your device and/or data. Plain and simple, this is extortion.
Ransomware can be downloaded by unwitting users by visiting malicious or compromised websites. It can also arrive as a payload, either dropped or downloaded by other malware. Some ransomware are delivered as attachments to spammed email.
Unfortunately, in most cases, ransomware victims decide to pay off crooks because of the threat of losing their important files is too great. In other cases, victims just panic and pay, believing wrongly that the threat is coming from some legitimate government agency.
There is good news: Trend Micro provides a FREE anti-ransomware toolkit to help you remove the malicious software from your device, so you can regain use of your device and/or data without playing the ransom.
Visit this page to learn more or download the Trend Micro™ Anti-Ransomware tool.
Go here if you’re a geek who’d like to review Trend Micro’s techie overview on Ransomware.
