Hackers holding files hostage

Computer users already anxious about viruses and identity theft have a new reason to worry: hackers are now locking up documents on your computer and then demanding money for the keys to break the encyrption.
Security researchers at the San Diego-based Websense uncovered the unusual extortion plot when a corporate customer they would not identify fell victim to the infection, which encrypted files that included documents, photographs and spreadsheets.
A ransom note left behind included an e-mail address, and the attacker using the address later demanded $200 for the digital keys to unlock the files.