An innocuous looking email arrives asking you to "check my CV" or "read the story" or "take part by filling in the attached form" and all have one thing in common; an attached zip file that does not contain anything like what is promised.

They all contain the usual malware virus but with a very scary revision, a virus that encrypts your entire computer files and any network attached files.  So your backups may be affected as well.

A countdown clock is displayed on screen so you know how long you have to complete the payment process.  After this time is up the files are completely destroyed and unrecoverable.

Some state your computer has been used for crime or is using pirated software and even has logos from the Metropolitan Police or FBI just to scare you more.

Other than paying the criminals their ransom, which is a ridiculous thing to do as this will only encourage them to continue, your only way out is to restore from a backup that was not connected to your computer at the time of the attack.

Get protected using the latest Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware software.  Protect your files as when they are compromised or corrupted it can be devastating and costly.

Hope for the best but prepare for the worse.