There are evil people in the World who need to be stopped now!  (Granted, degrees of evil here, but this one is "low hanging fruit," which we can all grab):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CryptoLocker

Hopefully, no one here has been a victim, but here are some things which you can do, right now, to insure that you are not a victim!

1)  Install CryptoPrevent:

http://www.foolishit.com/vb6-projects/cryptoprevent/

(Sorry about the URL.)

2)  Use Gmail, as it filters all .exes, even if they are hidden:

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6590?hl=en

3)  Use Firefox or Chrome as your default browser:

http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

4)  Use Tails whenever possible, without Admin rights (disabled by default):

https://tails.boum.org/

5)  Use cold-storage full system image backups, which means disconnecting your backup device after the backup has been completed.  Good and free software here:

http://clonezilla.org/

Be sure to verify your backups.

6)  Use WOT ("Web of Trust"):

http://www.mywot.com/

(Note that some traditional Catholic websites are "flagged."  Why, I don't know!)

7)  Use a good virus scanner, although, note the fact that many are failing to detect CryptoLocker until it is too late!

8)  Consider using Ubuntu for your Internet surfing:

http://www.ubuntu.com/

It's free.

9)  Do NOT visit untrustworthy Internet sites or open suspicious attachments!!!  Once again, use Gmail; Google will protect you!!

10)  If infected, Do NOT pay the ransom!  Instead, hit the power button on your computer and boot off an ISO:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9243537/Cryptolocker_How_to_avoid_getting_infected_and_what_to_do_if_you_are_

re. #8, ubuntu is an operating system, a linux variant.

Nothing beats Kaspersky.

I switched from Kaspersky to AVG because Kaspersky had program conflict with my porn blocker.

Here comes "round two" (the perps are not giving-up, at least easily):

http://www.securelist.com/en/blog/208214109/Cryptolocker_Wants_Your_Money
http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/threat/encyclopedia/entry.aspx?Name=Trojan%3aWin32%2fCrilock.B&ThreatID=-2147283704

I had read about this earlier last week in the article:

http://www.howtogeek.com/174343/ransomware-why-this-new-malware-is-so-dangerous-and-how-to-protect-yourself/

There are some advices on how to prevent it. One of them is this:

"When backing up files, be sure to back up your personal files to a location where they can't be written to or erased"

So Jeanne, in case you know this, how can I use a NAS for back-up and, at the same time, have the files there only at "read" mode?

So Jeanne, in case you know this, how can I use a NAS for back-up and, at the same time, have the files there only at "read" mode?

I use Acronis, but it costs money:

http://www.acronis.com/

Use the program to create a bootable DVD-R and backup from there; disconnect your external device before booting back into Windows.  You could also use CloneZilla, which is free:

http://clonezilla.org/