How To Combat CryptoLocker

So you’re happily working on your Windows computer, getting stuff done. Little do you know, your personal files are rapidly being encrypted so that you can’t access them. Suddenly, an alert appears on the screen—you have 96 hours (or four days) to pay $300 or lose all your encrypted personal files forever. A countdown is already ticking on your screen.

This is CryptoLocker, the latest and most damaging Windows virus in a series of recent ransomware Trojans. The relatively large of money it demands, combined with the tight deadline, make it far more aggressive than other similar viruses. And unfortunately for us, it’s spreading more rapidly than any of its contemporaries.

You’d think it would be simple to track down the perpetrators given that they’re taking a ransom, but it’s not that simple. Since CryptoLocker demands payment through MoneyPak or Bitcoin, both of which harness private, decentralized fund-exchange networks, it’s much more difficult to follow the money.