Ransomware - the new malware

Like spyware and malware, now we have "Ransomware".

These are a new breed of software that blackmail users to paying money.
Pay the money or else, your files are gone forever.
They spread just like spyware and get installed in the system, then starts to blackmail the users to pay money to get rid off them.

Example is a new Trojan called Ransom.a which demands a $10.99 ransom payment to stop erasing files on the infected PC's hard drive, a security firm said Thursday.

According to U.K.-based Sophos, the Ransom.a Trojan freezes the computer, then puts up a message saying it will delete files every half hour until the user sends $10.99 via Western Union to a designated account.

When the user presses Ctrl-Alt-Del, it pops up another message.

"Yeah, We don't die, We multiply! Ctrl+Alt+Del isn't quite working today, is it? I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but Crtl+Alt+Del is everyone's S.O.S."

n mid-March, a different Trojan, called "Cryzip" and "Zippo.a," demanded $300 in return for a password that would free users' files from maliciously-made ZIP archives. Multiple security companies, however, quickly figured out the password.