Eugene's observations

This type virus du jour has been in the news a lot lately.  Hence the following suggestions for preventing you becoming a victim are opportune.

• Backup.  You need this to be automated and with versioning enabled, retain backups for longer than 6 months.
• Do not even think about running Windows versions earlier than 10, and make sure that it is up-to-date.  It does this automatically mostly  but you need to check periodically.
• Do not rely on free anti-virus programs, you need to run an updated copy of one of the better Internet Security suites.
• If you are tempted to click a hyperlink, whether in an email or on a web page, think twice.  Safest to right click the link, copy it, paste it into a browser window then look at it to confirm that it is not patently bad. Remember that even 'good' websites and the adverts they host can be infected with bad links.  If you're unsure run in a sandboxed environment.
• Turn off Flash (it is off by default in Chrome) and be circumspect about running Office macros. 
• Backup. Remember to do a test restore every so often to confirm that important things are being copied and you know how to recover them.

If you do get infected disconnect from the Internet immediately then call on professional help.