Help! My computer is locked, IN RUSSIAN!

A new variant of a computer crimeware can lock your computer and demand payment via cellphone text messaging (SMS) however for most americans that are affected, they will not be able to read what has happened... because the message is printed on their screens in Russian!

Many of infections similar to this one have been seen over the past few years, each one demanding money after the user is tricked into installing it.  This one is no different.  This crimeware (also commonly known as ransomware) hijacks your computer and locks it down rending it useless until the user complies to the terms printed in russian and pays the demanded amount of money via their cellular telephone's SMS messaging system.

Some of our readers may not realise that you can pay a bill or transfer money from a cell phone as it is not as commonplace in the american market yet, but overseas it is quickly becoming the alternative to swiping a credit card.  This ransomware exploits that cellular telephone feature.  Using a unique number generated by the locking program with a phone number to send an SMS message to, the user is required to transfer the funds to that number, then wait back for a reply to their phone with an unlocking code.  This unlocking code is to be entered into the prompt and allow the computer to be unlocked and making it useful again.  Even if another variant of this ransomware should appear with the message in plain english DO NOT TRANSFER MONEY TO ANYONE!  In case you haven't though so, this is illegitimate, illegal and just plain immoral.

For anyone that sees such a message on their screen or any other program alerting you to any amount of problems on your machine, please see CyberSmart! for a proper disinfection.

and if you want to know how to avoid, or how your computer got infected in the first place, please visit my other article titled "How Did My Computer Get Infected" located here.

Be careful when on the internet, observe and think before clicking.  Always be CyberSafe!™ by being CyberSmart!®