Venture Beat: An incredibly complex malware virus masquerading as a legitimate ad network and traced to Australia has infected thousands of computers by directing people clicking on the sites to malicious ones. Once you click on the sites, the malware, sequestered in a Flash or Adobe Reader file, then encrypts all the files on your machine.
“The only way to decrypt your files is to pay a ransom. When you pay it, you’re given a key that decrypts your files. Usually the ransom is $500, which you pay with Bitcoins. It’s pretty nasty,” said Malwarebytes lead researcher Jerome Segura, who spent weeks unlocking the scam.
