Safeguard Against Extortion Viruses

The world of computer viruses was formerly the domain of the cruel or bored, and sought primarily to annoy the end user for no better purpose than to cause distress and havoc, essentially as a form of cyber-vandalism. Viruses could inhibit productivity, destroy data or simply waste the time of the consumer, who would then have to perform a service scan to rid their computer of the harmful software. However, increasingly savvy, greedy and dangerous perpetrators are using more and more advanced viruses, including so-called extortion viruses. These types of viruses seek to lure unsophisticated users into purchasing a product or service in order to regain control of their machine or access to their data.

The first extortion virus arrived in 2006 and went by the name Archiveus. This virus would replace any files placed in the infected computer's My Documents folder with a page that required a thirty-character password. In order to obtain this password, Archiveus would require the user to buy drugs from several disreputable online pharmacies, after which they received the password that allowed them to access their information. The short-lived ploy was not very effective, but it started the trend of using computer viruses for profit, instead of merely out of spite.

Extortion virus software these days often takes the form of an invasive application that claims your computer has been infected with a virus. This application then requires you to make a payment in order to purchase an antivirus software that is actually a virus itself. Most notable among extortion virus software are Antivirus Live, Advanced Virus Remover and Internet Security 2010. These applications appear to be legitimate software that has performed a scan on the user’s machine and discovered a multitude of infections. The user is then instructed to pay for one of the applications named above in order to remedy the problem.

An extortion virus is meant to induce fear and panic in the average consumer, who often only has limited means of knowing whether their computer has contracted a virus. Often these viruses will further cut off the user from accessing any information online by disabling their internet browser so that they can only access the website selling the illegitimate antivirus malware, leaving the user with very little ability to circumvent the extortion virus without professional intervention. Extortion virus software does not provide any protection even after money changes hands, so the only way to remove this harmful malware is by using an actual antivirus program. Many of the best antivirus software applications offer free versions that provide excellent protection at no cost. AVG Antivirus is the most highly rated software among free antivirus applications.

The easiest way to avoid extortion virus malware is to ensure that you already have a legitimate antivirus software on your computer prior to infection. You can obtain a free or inexpensive copy of most of these antivirus applications that include quality customer support in the event that your machine becomes infected. Many of these applications are easy to install and automatically update afterward, so you don't need advanced technical knowledge to use one. Under no circumstances should you make a payment to any extortion virus that attempts to hold your computer or your information hostage in exchange for payment. If you can't remove the extortion virus on your own, seek professional assistance.

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