What is ransomware?
Ransomware is the generic term for any malicious software that, as its name suggests, demands a ransom be paid by the computer’s user.
Why would you want to pay a ransom?
Because the ransomware has done something unpleasant to your computer, and potentially to your data.
For instance, it might have encrypted your documents and demanded that you pay a ransom to unlock access to them. This type of ransomware is known as a filecoder.
The most notorious filecoder is Cryptolocker. (Numerous versions of this are detected by ESET antivirus products as Win32/Filecoder).
How would my computer get infected by ransomware like Cryptolocker?
A typical method of infection would be to open an unsolicited email attachment or click on a link claiming to come from your bank or a delivery company.
There have also been versions of Cryptolocker seen which have been distributed via peer-to-peer files-sharing networks, posing as activation keys for popular software like Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office.
If your computer becomes infected, Cryptolocker hunts for a wide range of file types to encrypt – and once its dirty work has been done, displays a message demanding you electronically transfer the cash to have the files decrypted.
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