A new kind of ransomware wants you to play PUBG before it unlocks your files

The latest development in ransomware is a joke malware that only wants you to play a bit of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

Ransomware, for the uninitiated, is a type of malware that locks some or all files on your PC and asks for a ransom, hence the name. Creators of ransomware typically leave a PayPal account you need to pay some money to in order to get your files unlocked.

The latest one discovered, however, is a lot less sinister. Called PUBG Ransomware, the malware encrypts an infected computer's files and asks that you play PUBG for an hour to unlock it. If you're not down for a round of battle royale, though, the malware will also happily provides an unlock key.

"Your files is encrypted by PUBG Ransomware! But don't worry! It is not hard to unlock it. I don't want money! Just play PUBG 1Hours!" the ransomware message reads.

The bizarre ransomware was first spotted by MalwareHunterTeam (via Kotaku), and it'll monitor your PC until it detects the "TslGame" process - PUBG's system process.

Though it asks that you play PUBG for an hour, Bleeping Computer notes you only really need to run it for three seconds, at which point the ransomware will decrypt your files.

It's definitely a joke, and the site notes it's not the first one. Nonetheless, you should protect your PC from ransomware, sinister or otherwise.