Ransomware and Backups

I few days ago I was watching TV and saw an ad for a local computer store in Utah. The owner of the store talked about a new kind of computer virus called Ransomware. As I use only Mac or Linux and not Windows, I really don't worry about computer viruses. While a protected operating system doesn't guaranty you won't get a virus, it makes writing viruses really difficult and so most hackers don't even bother. Besides Windows has the majority of the market and so if you are going to extort money from unsuspecting computer users, that is where you will make the most.

Today I discovered that most of the antivirus software vendors have been able to lock out the majority of ransomware. That doesn't stop would-be extortionists from trying though. There is another class of ransomware that lacks any real ability to harm your computer. Basically you go to a web page that claims you have done something criminal like downloaded music illegally, or worse. You are then told you have several hours to pay a "forgiveness" fine. When you try to leave the web page, you are unable to do so. When you try to close your browser, you can't. For the unsuspecting user, this can be very frustrating. The trick is to kill your browser from the operating system. PC Magazine has an article outlining the steps if you need help.

The best thing you can do to keep yourself safe from any computer virus is to back up your hard disk frequently. I like to keep my computers backed up locally. That means I use a portable hard drive, Burnable DVD's, or some other form of backup media and keep the data myself. There are a number of online backup companies that also work well. It doesn't matter what you do, just make sure you back up the important stuff. Then when some website tells you to send them money or you will never see your stupid cat videos again, you can rest assured knowing you've got a nice copy of your important data.