Have you been a victim of ransomware, that pernicious scheme where hackers place malware on your system and then demand payment to make it go away? Well, says Sharon Polsky, head of the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, you’re not alone. In fact, reports CBC News, even police departments and law firms have shelled out ransom monies. “It’s not uncommon,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan Jepson, of the Calgary police. Kensington Wine Market this week had to pay $500 in Bitcoin to get their files unencrypted. Police departments worry that many of these types of data-hostage situations go unreported, “That’s why we hope and encourage people to report this type of crime to police,” said Jepson.
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