[zeugma]

I just had a converstaion last night with a manager of a college computer science laboratory. he reports that their Linux and Apple systems were successfully attacked by the Cryptolocker ransomware.

I'll look into it, but if you keep your system reasonably up to date, I don't really see it as much of a threat. You have to purposefully make a file executable before you run it, (with Linux at least). I strongly suspect that most people who run Linux will be somewhat less susceptible to just randomly running software than your average Windows user.

 

[Utilizer]

You have to purposefully make a file executable before you run it, (with Linux at least).

In Linux, it does not matter if you make the file "executable" or not. The underlying instructions will go nowhere because the underlying hardware calls and system instructions are not the same or even if similarly functioned, are not processed the same way by the basic subsystems.

You can make a text file that has nothing in it but the words:
"Printtoscreen: THIS MACHINE BELONGS TO pMSNBC ctrlA&endline
EndPrinttoscreen" and make it an executable.

Nothing is going to happen. The correct machine codes are simply not there.