Experts in Virus Removal, Ransomware, Spyware, Malware, Adware and Trojan horse removal including the very dangerous Cryptolocker and Locky Virus

CryptoLocker: Dangerous Ransomware Targetting Australians
Call 0410 659 349

WHAT IS CRYPTOLOCKER?

CryptoLocker is a ransomware Trojan which targets computers running on Microsoft Windows, particularly in Australia. Ransomwares are known to demand money from their victims in exchange for their computer’s data. CryptoLocker also goes by the name Locky and has targeted a lot of Australians simply by sending them an e-mail with malicious attachment.

cryptolocker alert

Within Australia this virus is personalised to come from Australia post, AGL Electricity Company as well as a fine from Department of Transport in QLD or NSW. Over time the authors of this particular virus will continue to come up with new ways to trick customer’s into running the contents of this email as well as to pretend to be from other Australian Companies. The scary thing about this particular virus is that once you have been infected it is impossible to recover your files without paying the ransom no matter what other computer technicians may tell you.

HOW DOES CRYPTOLOCKER WORK?

CryptoLocker is known to send an e-mail to computer users pretending to be from some kind of shipping company like FedEx. The e-mail comes with an attachment pretending to be a PDF file which looks surprisingly legitimate. Once the user downloads and opens the file, CryptoLocker starts to run a JavaScript code which freezes all computer files by encrypting them, including those in mounted drives. It can spread out to servers as well. The ransomware then forces you to pay hundreds of dollars in exchange for your files. The encrypted files can only be decrypted using a private key that only the guys behind CryptoLocker have. The ransom increases each day the user fails to pay. If the user fails to pay within a certain number of days, the private key is deleted and the user’s files are gone forever.

HOW CAN CRYPTOLOCKER BE AVOIDED?

  • Make sure files are safe and legitimate before opening them.
  • When receiving an e-mail from a specific company, call the number listed on their official website. Do not call the number from the e-mail.
  • Have your files backed up frequently in two locations: online and offline on another local drive or device.
  • Disable Microsoft Office’s macros.
  • Don’t use your computer with administrator rights longer than necessary. Avoid opening documents while you have admin rights.

If you have been victimized by a malicious software or simply want to make sure your computer is protected from potential harm, call us at 0410 659 349 and we will do everything we can to ensure that your computer is safe.