Filenappers used a virus, called Arhiveus, to infect Helen
Barrow's computer and lock all her files. The attackers then
instructed Barrow, a student nurse, to buy drugs from an online
outlet. Only then, said the hackers, would she be sent a password
which would release her files.
Barrow managed to get hold of a working password and rescue her
data, but Manchester Police say that the case is closed. "In terms
of trying to find who did this it would be a monument task to have
to do," said a spokeswoman for Manchester Police. "This is not an
investigation that is continuing."
The virus had previously been used on other victims, and Barrow
managed to contact someone with knowledge of the relevant password.
"Someone helped her find the password on the net which unlocked the
files," said the police spokeswoman. "This is a virus that is known
and has been around for some time. What is new is the approach,
seeming to be from a pharmaceutical company. The approach was
different, not the problem itself."
The police force said that this kind of attack may be on the
increase. "GMP's High Tech Crime Unit is aware of this new type of
crime," said a statement, "and that incidents of this kind could
increase in future."
The attack uses the Arhiveus virus to infect the attacked
computer, allowing files to be moved. Security experts say that the
already-documented type of attack is avoidable through the use of
standard antivirus software and by keeping virus signatures up to
date.
