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Use our guide for expert tips on how to spot an email scam. Even if it looks official, there's a chance it's a vessel for getting a virus onto your PC. However, there are simple and effective steps to ensure you avoid becoming a victim.įirst and foremost, be very careful about any unsolicited message or email you receive. Sadly, ransomware attacks such as this are on the rise, and individual PCs and even Mac computers can be at risk of being targeted. The perpetrators demanded a fee be paid in hard-to-trace Bitcoins to regain access. This malicious code locked thousands of PCs across the world. That was until the NHS (among other major organisations) was brought to its knees by the WannaCryptor, also known as WannaCry, ransomware attack in spring 2017.
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Previously, Ransomware was a largely obscure term used mostly by security experts. Read our round-up of the best antivirus software packages. In this guide, we’ll help you get savvy about what ransomware is, how to detect it and, if the worse happens, how to remove ransomware from your computer. They may accuse you of downloading illegal material to trick or embarrass you into paying a fee.
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Ransomware is a type of virus that holds your computer and the files on it to ransom, demanding payment for you to regain access.Ī ransomware virus can lock up your system or encrypt the files on your PC, making them unusable unless you pay up for a key code. Cyber criminals are sneaky with their ransomware scams, sometimes even pretending to be the police.
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