Malware sends out fake police fines in Spain

 

The National Police have warned of a new ‘ransomware’ attack in Spain, where emails claiming to be sent by the National Police inform the user that they must pay a fine for accessing file sharing sites or others containing child pornography. This form of malware is a form of extortion which holds a user’s computer hostage for a ransom. The message infects the user’s computer with malware and blocks it, purportedly to prevent any further abuse. Payment of 100 € is demanded to unlock the computer. The police noted in a press release on Monday that they do not, in any circumstances, ask for payment of fines online. Anyone who has already made the payment should make an official complaint to their nearest National Police station. Users are advised to restart their computer in ‘safe mode with networking’ to remove the infection, update their anti virus program and run a complete scan