In this article from the New York Times guidance is provided on how to protect people's own personal data from Ransomware attacks such as the Wannacry virus that has been circulating lately. Wikipedia describes ransomware as a type of malicious software that blocks access to data or threatens to publish it until a ransom is paid. Simple ransomware may lock the system in a way which is not difficult for a knowledgeable person to reverse. More advanced malware uses a technique called cryptoviral extortion, in which it encrypts the victim's files, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment to decrypt them.[