ZDNet: The ransomware guide: protection and eradication

/Home/Internet Security: Media/ZDNet: Media

It's nasty, but you don't have to be held to ransom by it.

By Charlie Osborne
February 10, 2015

The rise of ransomware

As reports surfaced of a 17-year-old whose suicide was reportedly the result of malicious code, particular scams caused by so-called "ransomware" hit the spotlight. In the case of the teenager, Joseph Edwards, a ransom demand appeared on his computer which claimed to come from law enforcement. The warning demanded $150 or legal action would be taken. As a result, Edwards took his own life. When a notice apparently from the FBI or intelligence agencies appears on someone's computer, fear can overtake reason and result in such sad cases. In a world where cyberthreats are rising, we should know exactly what we are dealing with -- and how to both avoid and combat it.

Click the URL above to view the slideshow