Ransomware - money or computer?

The method of extorting a 'ransom' by blocking the computer has increased considerably in recent years. The user of a computer then only sees the attackers' 'ransom note' on the monitor. The particularly perfidious thing about this is that if the victim agrees to the demand, their computer usually remains blocked anyway. It is therefore very rare to be able to 'buy your way out'.

Ransomware no longer affects just one operating system. Whether Linux, Mac OS or Windows, all users are affected by this digital form of highway robbery. There have also long been many instructions for building ransomware, known as 'crimeware kits', on the DarkNet. Ransomware usually does not encrypt the entire computer, but rather the data that is important to the user, such as the 'My Documents' folder under Windows.

Protection against ransomware is similar to protection against other viruses or Trojans. For example, a user receives an email with the attachment of an unpaid invoice, with a threat of punishment from the Federal Criminal Police Office, or with alleged usage violations by GEMA. Anyone who opens such an attachment has then handed the blackmailers the 'house key' themselves.

You should therefore NEVER open an e-mail attachment that does not come from an absolutely trustworthy source. GEMA and the BKA still use the good old letter post. It is also important to regularly back up all relevant data on external data carriers, as this keeps it out of reach of the blackmailers. Browsers can be protected against the execution of Java commands by installing applications such as 'NoScript', and ad blockers also offer increased protection.