SOPA Returns As A Poorly Executed Extortion Virus

Remember SOPA? The Internet really dodged a bullet there when the largest Web protest ever killed the bill. There have been rumors that it would be back, despite MPAA CEO Chris Dodd denying any such t...
SOPA Returns As A Poorly Executed Extortion Virus
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  • Remember SOPA? The Internet really dodged a bullet there when the largest Web protest ever killed the bill. There have been rumors that it would be back, despite MPAA CEO Chris Dodd denying any such thing. Well, Dodd was wrong as SOPA is back, and ready to take your money.

    Wait, what? Why does SOPA want your money? Well, it’s not really SOPA. It’s a ransonmware virus that’s using SOPA to scare people into giving them money. Ransomware is a particularly nasty virus that essentially holds your data hostage until you pay up. Here’s what you’ll see if you come across this particular piece of malware:

    SOPA Extortion Virus

    The worst part about these scams is that paying won’t solve anything. They want your money and your data. By paying, you’re just giving them access to both. Thankfully, these kind of viruses are also incredibly easy to remove. There are many ransomware removal walkthroughs available, but this one from YooCare has proven to be the easiest to follow.

    As always, these kind of viruses can not effect you unless you visit a malicious site or download a virus-ridden file. Use common sense when browsing the Internet and avoid sites that seem suspect. Also, you should only download files from trusted sources. That RapidShare link promising beautiful babes may be tempting, but it’s probably a virus. It could even be this one.

    [h/t: TorrentFreak]

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