Sing a song of ransomware…

Naked Security’s very own festive impresario, Maxim Weinstein (in real life he’s a technical expert at Sophos) has written a witty ditty about ransomware, sung to the tune of Here Comes Santa Claus.

Try it for yourself, loud or under your breath, doesn’t matter, we think you’ll smile.

(If you can’t remember the tune, you can listen to the original on YouTube.)

Here comes ransomware, 
   Here comes ransomware,
Right down Internet Way.
   Spammers and hackers and all their cronies,
Out to ruin your day.
 
Files are locking, pop-ups mocking,
   Oh what a frightening sight.
So hang your head and say your prayers,
   'Cause ransomware comes tonight.
 
Here comes ransomware,
   Here comes ransomware,
Right down Internet Way.
   It's got a bag that's filled with tricks,
To try to make you pay.
 
See those messages threaten your data,
   Clicking that link wasn't right.
So jump in bed, and cover your head,
   'Cause ransomware comes tonight.
 
Here comes ransomware,
   Here comes ransomware,
Right down Internet Way.
   It'll come around when you least expect it,
What else can you say?
 
But there's still hope for one and all,
   If you just do what is right.
Back up your files and use Sophos Home
   So ransomware's stopped tonight.

Well, we like this so much that we’d love to hear it performed live, and therefore…

…we’re inviting you to give it your best shot!

In the interests of scientific objectivity, we’re not offering any incentives that might influence your performance (by which we mean, there are no prizes on offer :-), but as the old adage goes, “It’s not the winning, it’s the taking part.”

So here’s the challenge: record yourself singing Max’s Here Comes Ransomware song and post it somewhere.

To keep it simple and short, we suggest just singing the first two verses and the last one, or even just the first and the last, but if you’re up for a live version of the whole song, don’t let us discourage you.

You can sing a cappella or go accompanied with a karaoke track, do it live on Facebook or edit it first, sing solo or perform in a group, go for tuneful musical precision or belt it out with simple festive fervour, quaff sherry to gird yourself or face the music entirely unmedicated… it’s up to you.

If you give it a go, please tweet the URL where we can watch your performance, using the hashtag #sing4sophos. (If you aren’t a Twitter user, or would like to keep a lower-than-average profile, just email tips@sophos.com instead.)

We don’t think you need a reason, but if you want one, remember that festive enthusiasm can be infectious.

By having a bit of fun-with-a-serious-side that other people can enjoy, you could encourage someone, somewhere, to take that one extra security precaution that saves their data over the festive season.