A new type of computer virus can erase your data with the push of a button.
Does a factory reset remove malware?
Check Point Research recently discovered Azov, a previously unknown malware that the company says can irreversibly destroy data on a device. How? Azov works by overwriting your information with random data.
"Malware is usually trying to harm you in some way," Andrew Barratt, vice president of cybersecurity firm Coalfire, told Lifewire in an email interview. "It's a bit like living with a criminal you can't see. He's going to sit [at] your computer and steal anything that can give him access to your money, and if he can't do that, he's going to make your computer of limited use to you."
Azov is a particularly nasty computer infection. Check Point Research said on its blog that Azov stands out from recent ransomware by its ability to execute its own code.
