Backup your files (again)

[Svrtnsse]

Someone at work just linked me this:
Sophos, Malwarebytes Warn of CryptoLocker Ransomware - eSecurity Planet

It may not be news to all of you, but I found it bothersome. I'm pretty good with backing up my data, but even so I'd hate to have my files taken as hostages by some program.

 

[CupofJoe]

I haven't been caught by that... but there do seem to be a fair number of scams and malware doing the rounds...
I especially [dis]like the one that locks your browser and tell you to pay up or they will add images of child sexual abuse to your machine and then report you to the police...

 

[Nihal]

I don't think you should create a backup because there is a nasty virus around. Create it because it's useful.

There are always nasty viruses around and you can always avoid them the same way: Don't trust unsolicited emails and shady files and keep a good antivirus running and up to date. It's even better if you keep an anti-malware program as well, it doesn't need to be a live program, but it's handy if you suspect something; you can quickly load it, update and check your system. It's a good practice to keep your system and software up to date, that way you get vulnerabilities corrections. And enable system restore. System restoration points are awesome!

That's it. CryptoLocker, as most viruses, is an .exe that modifies registry keys, etc. The chances are that if you've installed it by accident with a piece of software it won't take full effect until the next restart. So, if the software you've installed seems faulty and buggy, uninstall it and run a full scan on your pc. I won't give details of how judge if a file is trustworthy or not because it would extend this post and I would have to cover certain practices frowned upon by authorities, but if your friend sends an unsolicited e-mail with "Hello, here is that file I've talked about! Download SuperPieceOfSoftware.exe and IncridibleFakePDF.exe"... Don't open it. At the least ask first.

Be careful with your browser too, it's a common practice to software devs bundle their apps with extensions and plugins. Usually you can avoid installing these bloatware by always selecting "custom installation" and scanning the installer for checkboxes. Sometimes you can't, so, if you see an extension you can't recognize, your browser changes the home page, etc, suspect it. Google the extension name, disable if it's the case, run a malware removal tool.

With that said I must warn that not only exes can be harmful. I've seen a girl hacked by a .psd file not long ago. The good news is that non-executable files hardly cause extensive damage. What they do is provide access to your system through the internet from where the hacker wannabe would try to find a vulnerability to take control of your system, but that's a special case. It requires a hacker pissed off at you/or wanting something from your pc and he'll actively act to get that. That also leaves traces, like sudden spikes on your bandwidth/CPU usage while you leave your computer idle.


TL;DR: I'm a very active user, I download and try new apps, uninstall, etc. I've partially lost HDs... because they grew old and became mechanically faulty. =P

I've caught few viruses and malware in my whole life (but I've fixed my parents and sisters computers a couple of times!), and there isn't a virus I couldn't remove or revert yet.