What is a symptom of a computer infected with a ransomware virus?

A key symptom of a ransomware infection is that files are encrypted, rendering them unreadable to the user, and a ransom is typically demanded to provide the means to decrypt those files. Ransomware is specifically designed to take control of a victim’s data by encrypting it and then displaying a message that instructs the victim on how to pay the ransom in order to recover access to their data. This behavior serves the primary goal of ransomware: financial gain.

In contrast, while a computer infection can manifest in various ways, the characteristics of ransomware are quite distinct. For instance, files being deleted without warning might be associated with malware but does not specifically point to ransomware, as the latter focuses on encryption rather than deletion. Similarly, improved system performance is not a symptom of ransomware; rather, this type of malware typically slows down system performance due to the heavy encryption processes taking place. Lastly, a lack of internet access could occur for various reasons unrelated to ransomware and does not specifically indicate an infection of this type, which usually aims to make data accessible over the internet for ransom payment mechanisms.