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Zurich police warn of rise in ransomware attacks

The Local
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Zurich police warn of rise in ransomware attacks
A laptop displays a message after being infected by ransomware as part of a worldwide cyberattack in June 2017. Photo: AFP

Police in the Swiss canton of Zurich on Monday warned of a spike in the number of attacks involving ransomware like LockerGoga, Ryuk and MegaCortex.

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In a statement police said the attacks could course businesses huge financial damage by blocking computers and paralysing entire IT systems.

So-called ransomware encrypts files on victim’s computers and demands money in order to decrypt them.

The cantonal force said attackers were targeting individual companies and informing themselves about company activities before carrying out their attacks.

Police said companies should be very careful before opening suspicious external emails containing links and attachments.

They said police should be notified as soon as possible of an attack to boost the chances of culprits being caught.

Read also: Cybercrime in Switzerland: an ultimate survival guide

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