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This is what it's like to be infected with the first 'ransomware' virus for Macs

Rob PriceMar 7, 2016, 16:41 IST

Flickr/Leo Hidalgo

Over the weekend, news broke of a nasty new piece of malware targeting Mac users. It's "ransomware" that encrypts users' data, making it impossible to access unless they pay a bounty to the malware's operator.

Malware is a persistent problem on Windows machines - it's so devastating, it has even shut down hospital networks - but this is the first time ransomware has made its way onto OS X.

The offending malware came bundled with an update to Transmission, a well-known program for downloading torrents. Unsuspecting users installed the app - only to find themselves being extorted by hackers.

So what's it like to be targeted by ransomware? YouTuber rogueamp installed the compromised version of Transmission to find out.