[ad name=”new”]
Luckily we haven’t seen the encryption virus Crytolocker on a client computer in our Calgary repair shop yet. I hope we never do. This ransomware will encrypt your entire hard drive so you lose all your photos, data, and documents if you don’t pay the criminals the unencryption fee. I think the fee is $300.
Everyday we are still seeing the Cybercrime virus and Optimizer Pro and are expert in removing it. I think we could remove these two in our sleep. The Cybercrime virus is another ransomware that locks your computer until you send a gift card to the criminals. Really. The information on your locked computer says you are sending it to the RCMP or FBI or other law enforcement agency. Even if you pay your computer will stay “locked” until you bring it to a repair shop and get the virus removed. So don’t pay.
As far as the encryption virus goes, this is what you should do as a precaution: backup your drive and then disconnect your external backup from your computer so if you get the virus, the backup drive doesn’t get encrypted too. Then youcan transfer the data back to your computer if it gets encrypted. Problem solved. Also don’t open any attachments on emails especially if the emails are “phishy”, meaning if they purport to be from a reputable company but are not addressed to you but to a generic user. They might seem to be from a bank or shipping service such a Fed Ex or UPS. Do not open the attachment.
Click here if you’d like more information on the encryption virus and what you should do to prevent it.