Security experts are warning of a new and particularly nasty variation of ransomware, a form of computer infection that locks people out of their computers or files unless they pay the culprits money.
In a blog earlier this month, Sophos called the sinister software a self-replicating parasite.
While computer malware often infects a few files, parasitic viruses, in contrast, may leave you with hundreds of infected files on each computer, or thousands, or more, the company said. If you leave even one of those infected files behind after a clean-up, the infection will start up all over again.
Because it s self-replicating, Sophos added, the virus can cause havoc with a company s computer network because even if it infects only a single computer, it may soon end up all over the place.
In a separate note, security firm SentinelOne also raised an alarm about the virus.
In many cases, the only way for a company to recover from an infection will be to restore machines from a last known good backup – a costly and time consuming process, it said. This could lead to mass and protracted shutdowns at companies before they are able to return to normal operations.
Image by KRT archives
