\nWhat was the ransom for?
\nAll of the files on her computer.
\nThey had been encrypted by a virus.
\nSix years of her hard work as a writer where suddenly unreadable.
\nIt all started with an email from what appeared to be the U.S. Postal Service informing her of a package they had not been able to deliver.
\nShe opened the email and the attachment. Then the\u00a0ugly virus software started working through her files.
\nShe had no idea what was happening within her computer until she received the message asking her to submit the randsom.
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![\"CryptoLocker](\"https:\/\/gigimurfitt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/CryptoLocker-Ransomware-demands-300-to-decrypt-your-files.png\")
<\/a>\nThe criminal?
\nCryptoLocker<\/strong>, a malicious software that\u00a0is infecting computers around the world \u2013 encrypting important files and demanding a ransom to unlock them.
\nIt attacks everything – documents, databases, spreadsheets, photos, videos and music collections. Then it\u00a0scrambles the files with encryption that can only be opened by the crooks.
\nIt appears that your computer is working normally until you try to open the encrypted files.
\nThen it asks you to pay a ransom within three days or your files are permanently encrypted.
\nHer ransom was $300.00. Even if you pay the ransom, the decryption key does not always work.
\nMy advice:
\n1. Never open a file from an unknown source.
\n2. Before opening a file, find a way to confirm that it is real. After taking a copy of the request to the U.S. Post Office, this author friend found out that the U.S. Post Office never sends emails. Had she asked before she opened it, she would have saved herself a big headache.
\n3. Backup, Backup, Backup – a separate manual backup – not an automated backup that will simply automatically copy the encrypted files and overwrite your good files.
\nWith a\u00a0recent backup, you can recover from CryptoLocker and other malware with no serious consequences.
\nFor more thorough information on what to do about this virus, watch this helpful video.<\/strong><\/p>\n