Writer Loses Part Of His Life's Work By Ransomware

A New Zealand writer who for 50 years on a book about cars works is a part of his life's work lost by ransomware and the man did not have backups. The 73-year-old Bruce Utting in his life had some 200 cars owned and operated since 1965 trying to write about a book.

Recently touched his computer infected with ransomware which encrypted files. To regain access to the files he had to pay $ 500. If it was not paid on time would amount to $ 1000 are doubled. Utting knocked on NetSafe, an organization sponsored by the government that gives online security advisory. "It was suggested that I should throw this computer and a new one had to buy, as there was no safe way to format or to avoid the risk of reinfection," said the writer.

Utting then decided to go to the police, but they sent him back to NetSafe. The organization advised not to pay the ransom, even letting victims of ransomware regularly know that after paying their files to recover. The British anti-virus firm Sophos understands else that pay victims, especially if they have no backups. Despite all warnings the writer did not have backups, so the encrypted files can not be retrieved in a different way.

Utting was lucky however, as ransomware but four or five chapters encrypted. He uses a very old version of Microsoft Works for writing his book and the earlier chapters were not recognized by the ransomware and encrypted, reports the New Zealand news site Stuff. The writer is now planning to buy a new computer.