The new year have barely begun and a new wave of ransomware threats hits many European countries, Denmark in particular is being targeted.
It is estimated that we at this time in 2017 already have more ransomware infections compared to the entire last year. Even taking into consideration that 2016 was at an all high when it came to reported infections.
The attacks are hitting not only Denmark but also several other countries in Europe, where Belgium, Spain and The Netherlands are hit hard. This goes to show, that ransomware know no boundaries and is easily translated to local languages. This increases the potential for infections dramatically.
There is many different types of ransomware, common for all of them is that you as a user, have to give the malicious code acces to your system. For this reason, ransomware is usually disguised in an attached file that requires you to open them – and in many cases exposes your system to the malicious code.
A new devious way to swindle
One new way for ransomware to find its way to your system is by hiding in Excel and Word files. These type of files have normally been known to be safe, which is way you need to be extra vigilant when it comes to opening attached files sent to you – even from sources you normally trust.
If you have doubts about the validity of the file, try reaching out to the sender of the file to get a confirmation that the file does not contain ransomware.
To reduce the chance of a ransomware attack and spyware in general we recommend to install and effective and updated security software.
Anti Explorator is designed specifically to combat threats like ransomware and spyware – you can download the newest version free here.