Recently, I wrote about being attacked by ransomware (see Business of Editing: URLs, Authors, & Viruses). It appears that the problem is getting worse. I thought you would be interested in this short Ars Technica article (and the comments that follow it):
“Soaring price of Bitcoin prompts CryptoLocker ransomware price break.”
The ransomware mentioned in the article is even more frightening (to me) than the ransomware I “caught,” and makes clear that it is more important than ever to regularly backup and image my hard drives.
Although the article is short, it is worth spending a few minutes to read. There are a lot of comments, but the first few are enough to emphasize the danger of ransomware and the need to be increasingly vigilant.
An American Editor 
Thanks for sharing this. Frightening to think that that no matter how diligent you are about backing up files, the extortioners will eventually figure out a way to get to you.
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Comment by change it up editing — November 22, 2013 @ 10:02 am |
That is scary stuff. Thanks for sharing the link.
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Comment by Vicki — November 22, 2013 @ 11:03 pm |
This is scary. I discussed this with my techie son, and he was surprised that you got caught by URLs in Word documents. He suggested that URLs be checked on a cheap laptop, possibly not Windows-based, rather than your usual working PC. That way you won’t infect your PC and even if you have to lose your laptop to the ransomware, replacing it is cheaper than the price the extortionists are demanding.
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Comment by AElfwine — November 23, 2013 @ 5:09 am |
[…] of Editing: URLs, Authors, & Viruses.” A week later, I followed it up with “Articles Worth Reading: More on Ransomware.” And just a few weeks ago, I wrote “The Business of Editing: Playing It Safe” […]
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Pingback by Articles Worth Reading: Inside CryptoWall 2 | An American Editor — January 10, 2015 @ 6:42 am |