Ransomware trojan viruses like the recent Locky are spreading round the globe and are being encouraged, in effect, by thousands of computer users who cave in to their blackmail demands. Around one-third of the victims of extortion software pay a ransom to the attackers to get back access to their data, according to a survey by IT security service provider Bitdefender.
A survey of all users has found 36 per cent saying they would pay up if they fell victim to a trojan, despite the many warnings not to.
Security experts say that extortion software will boom this year. For cyber-criminals it's a profitable business, said Catalin Cosoi of Bitdefender. The attackers usually get their malicious code onto the victim's computer via email.
Once the trojan is activated, the data on the computer is encrypted and the attacker demands a ransom to decrypt it.
Giving in to the attackers just encourages and supports the developers of malicious software, Cosoi said.
And now encryption trojans are no longer confined just to Windows computers. They're attacking Apple Macs as well.
Security company Palo Alto Networks has discovered ransomware within the Transmission BitTorrent client installer for OS X.
Once downloaded and installed, the ransomware - which Palo Alto Networks nicknamed KeRanger - will encrypt the user's files and demand a ransom of one bitcoin (around 400 dollars) to decrypt them.
Users who downloaded the Transmission installer from the official website on March 4 or 5 could be infected by KeRanger and should delete it, experts advise. Further information can be found on the Palo Alto Networks' website.
Apple advises users to only install programmes from the Mac App Store or from verified developers.
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