In this Wednesday, April 1, 2015 photo, Jeff Salter, CEO of Caring Senior Service, poses for a photo in his company office building in San Antonio. Last December, the network of nearly 30 computers at Caring Senior Service were invaded by ransomware, software hackers use to try to extort money from people and businesses that can’t open or use documents, pictures, spreadsheets and other files.
Ransomware is one of the fastest-growing forms of hacking, cybersecurity experts say. Anyone from a home computer user to a Fortune 500 company can be infected. It can also attack smartphones. The smaller the users, the more vulnerable they are to losing their files — unless they have a secure backup for their system or go through the complicated process of paying cybercriminals.
Salter thought he was prepared for such an invasion. Most of his files were backed up in a place hackers couldn't access, and he was able to restore his information. But one machine wasn't; it contained marketing materials for his San Antonio-based franchise chain with 55 locations. Salter paid a $500 ransom.
"It would have cost us $50,000 to try to spend the time to recreate the stuff," Salter says. "It would have been pretty devastating if we'd lost all that." See the full story at ABC News.
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