20 Mar 2015

Warning over spam scam

1:17 pm on 20 March 2015

Internal Affairs is warning people to be wary of an email scam that can hold computer owners to ransom and cripple IT systems.

The emails claim to offer a person's CV in an attachment but in fact they contain ransomware called Cryptowall 3.0.

When the recipient opens the email, it locks the person out, and sends a message demanding payment before unlocking the device.

Internal Affairs spokesperson Toni Demetriou said these emails could bring an IT system to its knees with a simple click on an email spam message, and should be deleted immediately.

He said people could protect themselves by not opening or clicking on unsolicited emails, ensuring computer security systems were up to date and backing up important files.