Thursday, June 19, 2008
Advice from Kaspersky Lab on recovering files affected by the Gpcode.ak virus comes with a catch – users must not have turned off their PC.
Creators of the malware, which scrambles files on PCs, demanded a ransom for the unlock key, reported InfoWorld.
Files can be recovered, but it requires a high level of technical ability and the PC must not have been switched off.
Ideally, users would have a clean computer to download a fix for the process.
Creators of the virus could yet again breach IT security by releasing a variant even if the key to unlock files easily is discovered.
Some researchers have said Kaspersky's attempts to crack the key are "futile", according to Computerworld.
The website also quoted a spokesman from Kaspersky admitting there was no progress in cracking the key and adding that it was "not possible" to decrypt files scrambled by Gpcode.ak without it.
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