KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mary Mittenfelner doesn't leave her Kansas City home often.
Instead, the 80-year-old woman chooses to stay inside where she paints and writes poetry on her computer.
However, a couple months ago, her computer started acting strangely.
“It was basically frozen and then the arrow started shooting all around the screen,” said Mittenfelner.
All of her computer files, including her poetry, were locked. And a message had popped up on her computer, telling her the only way to unlock her computer was calling a phone number.
“I called that number and that’s when the dance began,” she said. “They wanted $150. Now, they won’t leave me alone.”
Ransomware Attack
Mittenfelner, like thousands of others, became a victim of a ransomware attack— where hackers put malicious software on a victim’s computer through an email attachment or bad website.
The software locks a computer until the victim pays a ransom.
The FBI does not have complete data on how often these attacks occur.
However, the agency estimates that people and companies in the United States paid more than $1 billion in ransom payments in 2016. That compares to $24 million the year before, in 2015.
“It’s an epidemic problem in the United States,” said former FBI agent Jeff Lanza, who now specializes in cybersecurity. “It’s almost impossible to [the hackers] because most of them are overseas. Not only that, the money is transferred using bitcoins.”
How to Protect Yourself
Think Before Clicking
According to Lanza, most ransomware is delivered by email giving instructions to open an attachment or click on a link. The message is designed to get users to open the infected attachment, which downloads the virus onto the victim’s computer.
If you are not expecting an attachment or do not recognize an email, do not click on it.
Back Up All of Your Data
Lanza suggests consistently backing up data on a computer. It is the fastest way to regain access to data without having to pay the ransom.
Additionally, you should consistently update your computer.
