Ransomware

[SlowwHand]

I use it, among others.

[MattBowron]

My buddy just got "Security Protection" on his computer. It's some spyware that holds your computer hostage until you buy their anti-spyware fix.

How the **** is this legal? It's a crime to grow, sell, possess or smoke marijuana, but fraudulently installing malicious software is not the government's concern? Obviously there's a paper trail of credit card payments to whatever company is receiving the ransom. Is there some nonsense law preventing the FTC from ending this? Even if the company were in Belarus or some other Russified ****-hole, they still rely on American banks to handle the transaction. If they hide behind the Putin mob, their assets can still be frozen.

I restarted his computer in safe mode, and I'm running a full scan using Microsoft Security Essentials. I hope it'll work, but even if it does, this is needless tedium.

I've had malware, freeware, chain-letters, and spam. If you hate spam read about Rule 43, not the actual rule, but a Sci-Fi novel by Charles Stross in which a detective investigates the deaths of spammers by some serial killer.