Computer users held to ransom by malicious spam

Thursday, November 21, 2013 - 15:30 by Mike Price

This week, an announcement from the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned British consumers and business owners to watch out for a new scam campaign in which spam emails containing the Crytoloker malware are being distributed to millions of addresses.

Crytolocker is technically known as ransomware, since it first encrypts files on the infected PCs and then presents the user with the option to unlock everything, but only if they are willing to part with two Bitcoins.

Bitcoins are a digital currency based on encryption which can be used for entirely legitimate purposes, but since they are untraceable it also makes them a popular choice for cyber-criminals.

Two Bitcoins may not sound like a lot, but in modern valuations TechRadar estimates this to be worth £536.

There are plenty of spam campaigns of which UK consumers need to be aware if they are to shopping online without the risk of having their personal details pilfered or, in this case, actually having to pay cash to criminals directly.

The NCA revealed that the scammers are currently using emails which are made to look like they come from banks and other organisations, with the attachment alleged to contain details of fraudulent activity occurring within the user's account.

This is designed to compel people to open the attachment, at which point the malware is installed and their PC will be severely hampered.

Being savvy to the tactics deployed by cyber-criminals is important, because it will help you to avoid their more obvious manoeuvres and enjoy safe shopping online without a cloud of concern hanging over the whole experience.

Make sure that you delete any unsolicited emails and know that your bank will never ask you for account information or send you messages containing attachments directly.