Tag Archive for: Ransomware

Ransomware creator apologizes for ‘sleeper’ attack, releases decryption keys

/in

Last week, a new strain of ransomware called Locker was activated after having been sitting silently on infected PCs. Security firm KnowBe4 called Locker a “sleeper” campaign that, when the malware’s creator “woke it up,” encrypted the infected devices’ files and charged roughly $ 24 in exchange for the decryption keys.

See also: ‘Sleeper’ ransomware laid dormant on infected PCs until this week

This week, an internet user claiming to be the creator of Locker publicly apologized for the campaign and appears to have released the decryption keys for all the devices that fell victim to it, KnowBe4 reported in an alert issued today. Locker’s creator released this message in a PasteBin post:

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network World Colin Neagle

New ‘sleeper’ ransomware laid dormant on infected PCs until this week, report says

/in

A new strain of ransomware that had laid dormant on infected devices suddenly “woke up” at midnight on Monday, May 25, security firm KnowBe4 said in an alert issued today.

Ransomware encrypts all the files on the devices it infects and demands a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key to give the content back to the original owner.

See also: Ransomware: Pay it or fight it?

KnowBe4 CEO Stu Sjouwerman says this new strain of malware, dubbed Locker, is “very similar to CryptoLocker,” the first successful modern form of ransomware that was released in late 2013 and was thwarted last year. Locker is a “sleeper” strain of malware, meaning that victims may have unintentionally downloaded it earlier, but that their devices were not encrypted until the ransomware was activated earlier this week.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network World Colin Neagle

With ransomware on the rise, cryptographers take it personally

/in

Some of the world’s leading cryptographers are concerned about the increasing number of malicious programs that hold computers and mobile phones to ransom, in many cases by abusing the encryption algorithms they designed.

Despite law enforcement efforts to disrupt ransomware operations, the prevalence of such programs continued to grow last year, according to a report published Thursday by antivirus vendor F-Secure.

A family of ransomware programs known as Browlock, which impersonates police agencies and asks users to pay fictitious fines in order to regain control of their computers, was one of the top 10 PC threats during the second half of 2014, according to F-Secure’s statistics. An increase was also observed among the ransomware threats for Android phones.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network World Security

Ransomware: Pay it or fight it?

/in

Ask security experts what to do when hit with ransomware – the sophisticated malware that infects a device or network, uses military-grade encryption to restrict access, and demands payment for the decryption key – and you’ll typically get the same answer: “never pay the ransom.”

But for many, that’s simply not an option. For example, last November an employee in the Sheriff’s Department in Dickinson County, Tenn., accidentally clicked on a malicious ad and exposed the office network to the infamous CryptoWall ransomware. Detective Jeff McCliss told local News Channel 5 that CryptoWall had encrypted “every sort of document you could develop in an investigation,” such as witness statements and evidence photos. Even after consulting with the FBI and U.S. military, McCliss told the news station that the only solution was to pay the $ 500 to the cybercriminals to get their files back.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network World Colin Neagle