What was ransome ware?

Answer 1

Ransomware is malware that infects your PC, usually by your clicking on a document or url that contains the virus. What it does: it encrypts all your documents and programs, so that you can no longer access them. Instead of your normal desktop screen you only get to see a text that tells you to pay a certain amount if you ever want to be able to acces your pc again. Often, paying gets you a key that you can use to un-encript your pc, but there is a distinct risk that nothing happens after payment and you will have to find someone to clean and re-install your Windows, and your documents even then remain sometimes lost.

Always report an attack of ransomware to your local police. Sometimes the ransomware screen claims to have found "illegal" content on your pc. Don't worry about that; it's a standard formula they use. Oh yes: always use a good virusscanner on your pc. The systems you have to pay for are the best at blocking ransomware. Bullguard and G Data virusscanners score best in this respect.

Java and Quicktime are programs especially vulnerable to this form of hacking. Removing these programs from your pc is safe to do and has no negative effect on the proper functioning of your pc. If you absolutely want to keep them, make 100% sure that you always have the latest updated versions.

Another general rule is: don't open mails and certainly don't open attached files coming from people you don't know and immediately distrust any mails sent to you by yourself. A favorite trick of these people is sending you a mail, seemingly from the IRS or from another 'official' sender, claiming an enormous outstanding payment; details to be found in the attachment you have to click on. Don't. Luckily, all official institutions still communicate by old-fashioned letters. Or let your mouse arrow rest on the sender's name. Its email address will then pop up, which almost always looks nothing like the name of the institution seemingly sending you the message.