Security messages are warning of a sudden and sizeable rise in junk ##ware messages containing viruses . The surge it being blamed on a new strain of ransomware called Locky . A version that was produced just two weeks ago has already become the second - most prevalent form of ransomware , after Cryptowall . To date , France , Japan and the US , have been the top targets for Locky . Locky encrypts data on an infected machine , with the attackers demanding 1000 bitcoins ( £ 885 ) for the decryption process . The latest version of Locky uses attachments written in Javascript , which helps the attacker avoid detection from anti - virus messages .
Security firms are warning of a sudden and sizeable rise in junk mail messages containing ransomware. The surge it being blamed on a new strain of ransomware called Locky. A version that was produced just two weeks ago has already become the second-most prevalent form of ransomware, after Cryptowall. To date, France, Japan and the US, have been the top targets for Locky. Locky encrypts data on an infected machine, with the attackers demanding three bitcoins (£885) for the decryption key. The latest version of Locky uses attachments written in Javascript, which helps the ransomware avoid detection from anti-virus software.