The effects of ransomware

Ransomware is a common and dangerous type of malware. It can affect both individuals and organisations.

Ransomware can cause severe damage. It can hurt your reputation, and cost you money.

What to look for

Ransomware can infect your devices in the same way as other malware or a virus. For example:

• visiting unsafe or suspicious websites
• opening emails or files from unknown sources
• clicking on malicious links in email or on social media.

Common signs you may be a victim of ransomware include:

• pop-up messages requesting funds or payment to unlock files.
• you cannot access your devices, or your login doesn’t work for unknown reasons.
• files request a password or a code to open or access them.
• files have moved or are not in their usual folders or locations.
• files have unusual file extensions, or their names or icons have changed to something strange.

If any of these things happen to you, check with your friends and colleagues first to see if they made any changes.