My computer has been infected by something called “CryptoWall” and I am unable to open files, as an example “jpeg” files. Is there a way I can remove this virus and get access to my files?
What you have got is a variant of the Crypto virus, sometimes known as CryptoLocker. These are what are known as Ransom Ware as they encrypt your documents, pictures and other files and require you to pay a ransom to decrypt them, somewhere in the region of $500-1000! The problem is that, even if you do decide to pay them, there is no guarantee that these criminals will unlock your files. The virus seems to get in either via an email attachment or where other spyware has got in and opened the gates to more infections. There is no way to remove the encryption so you must use back-up copies of your files once the infection is removed. This highlights the importance of taking regular back-ups. Sometimes we can find previous versions of documents on clients’ systems but back-ups are the best way to protect your information. As part of our routine maintenance visits we check your protection and can advise on back-ups.