What would you call this crime? (also, EXTREME malware warning)

The media dubs this one: ransomware.  Not "good" sounding, but not as sinister as it really is.  I call it extortion or even terrorism.  Why?  Well, clearly these thugs are extorting money from the victims.  In it's worst form, this bug could take out millions of computers, causing irreparable financial harm to our country or even the world.  What do we call that?

To quote a journalist quoted in the article:
“This is a criminal operation. They are holding your folders and files ransom. We call this ransomware because that is exactly what it is. You need to pay in order to have access to them once again.”

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/12/18/cryptolocker-ransomware-being-described-as-the-perfect-crime/

Further into the piece we read that "the FBI tells WBZ-TV they are very worried about this spreading in 2014."  Really?  Well, let me view this from a different point of reference.

Our government is spending BILLIONS on intruding into the lives of it's citizens.  From the TSA strip searching grandmothers, to the huge proliferation of cameras mounted everywhere but inside of your home, to the FBI implementing all of the loopholes in the Patriot Act that make such trivial details as a search warrant irrelevant, to the NSA keeping track of EVERY cell phone call made in the US every day, to my new personal favorite ... the FBI spying on people through their webcams (http://www.dickmorris.com/fbi-spy-through-webcams-dick-morris-tv-lunch-alert/?utm_source=dmreports&utm_medium=dmreports&utm_campaign=dmreports), I find it very hard to believe that we can't stop these cyber terror attacks from occurring.  I mean, what the hell?  Track a couple of million less calls per day and take that money to fund the same geniuses you employ to design this intrusive surveillance software.  You mean to tell us that you really can't stop this from happening and we, as the citizens who fund all of your surveillance efforts, must just sit by helplessly and be victimized?  How is this "protecting us"?  If this is the best you can do, why do we need you?

Here's my alternative view to the FBI being "very worried" about this.  Get off your collective government asses, employ our best and brightest to track these thugs and end this.  How do we end this if, as stated in the article, these terrorists are located overseas?  Isn't that what we have Seal Team 6 for?

By the way ... feel that the government isn't tracking you?  I've still got that bridge in Brooklyn for sale.  Remember, the question to ask isn't "why would I care when I have nothing to hide?" but rather "why do they need to know?".