Two years after GPcode ransomware was created, GPCode.AK was unleashed and began spreading from PC to PC. Each computer GPCode.AK infected, it would lock or encrypt the victim’s files and require the user to pay a ransom or fee to get a code which would unlock their files.
The difference between the first GPCode and GPcode.AK was the use of a 1024-bit RSA key used to lock or encrypt the victim’s files, making this newer version more of a nuisance and harder to crack.
In 2008 Christophe Grenier created a free tool called PhotoRec, that can be used to restore files deleted by GPCode and GPCode.AK.