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In another example of "ransomware," a new Trojan horse threatens to delete files unless the victim pays up, security experts have warned. When activated, the Trojan horse, dubbed Ransom-A by antivirus company Sophos, displays some explicit images. It then shows an expletive message that demands a US$10.99 payment, or it will delete one file every 30 minutes, security experts at SophosLabs said in a statement published late last week.

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Benjamin Daines was browsing the Web when he clicked on a series of links that promised pictures of an unreleased update to his computer's operating system. Instead, a window opened on the screen and strange commands ran as if the machine was under the control of someone -- or something -- else. Daines was the victim of a computer virus.

A new kind of malware circulating on the Internet freezes a computer and then asks for a ransom paid through the Western Union Holdings money transfer service. A sample of the Trojan horse virus was sent to Sophos, a security vendor, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant. The malware, which Sophos named Troj/Ransom-A, is one of only a few viruses so far that have asked for a ransom in exchange for releasing control of a computer, Cluley said. The new Trojan falls into a class of viruses described as "ransomware." The schemes had been seen in Russia, but the first...

New virus seeks 'ransom' for computer files Wed Mar 15, 12:56 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - In the equivalent of a holdup in cyberspace, a new computer bug locks up a user's file with encryption and demands a 300-dollar "ransom," security experts say. The so-called "ransomware" Trojan was discovered Saturday by the security firm LURHQ, which said it was based on a similar scheme perpetrated 15 years ago. Users whose computers are infected receive an e-mail stating that their files have been encrypted and will not be unlocked unless they transfer 300 dollars to a special account. In poorly written...

PARIS: Software protection companies are warning that a vicious new form of cyber-attack known as "ransomware" is threatening computers by encrypting documents and demanding money for them to be decrypted. Symantec, a manufacturer of anti-virus programmes, said on Thursday on its website that the attacking programme is a "Trojan horse" that enters the computer via holes in the victim's web browser, scans a hard drive and encrypts any text-based documents that it finds. Unlike a virus, a Trojan horse does not replicate from machine to machine. f it installs successfully, the new threat wipes out text files then displays a...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Computer users already anxious about viruses and identity theft have new reason to worry: Hackers have found a way to lock up the electronic documents on your computer and then demand $200 over the Internet to get them back. Security researchers at San Diego-based Websense Inc. uncovered the unusual extortion plot when a corporate customer they would not identify fell victim to the infection, which encrypted files that included documents, photographs and spreadsheets. A ransom note left behind included an e-mail address, and the attacker using the address later demanded $200 for the digital keys to...