Annoying viruses on our computers are something we have gotten used to dealing with, but there is a new and very malicious virus called CryptoLocker that is poised to cause serious problems. CryptoLocker is the latest and most damaging of a type of virus called ransomware, which are Trojan viruses that encrypt your files until you pay a fee (ransom). When the virus has finished encrypting your files, the alert shown below will appear giving you 96 hours (or four days) to pay $300 or lose all your encrypted personal files forever.

It should be simple to track down the hackers given that they’re taking a ransom, but it’s not that simple. Since CryptoLocker demands payment through MoneyPak or Bitcoin, both of which are private, decentralized fund-exchange networks, it’s almost impossible to follow the money.
How does your computer get infected?