05/03/2024
Massive ransomware infection hits computers in 99 countries.
What is Ransomeware __> ( a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.)
Ransomware has some key characteristics that set it apart from other malware:
It features unbreakable encryption, which means that you can’t decrypt the files on your own (there are various decryption tools released by cyber security researchers – more on that later);
It has the ability to encrypt all kinds of files, from documents to pictures, videos, audio files and other things you may have on your PC;
It can scramble your file names, so you can’t know which data was affected. This is one of the social engineering tricks used to confuse and coerce victims into paying the ransom;
It will add a different extension to your files, to sometimes signal a specific type of ransomware strain;
It will display an image or a message that lets you know your data has been encrypted and that you have to pay a specific sum of money to get it back;
It requests payment in Bitcoins, because this crypto-currency cannot be tracked by cyber security researchers or law enforcements agencies;
Usually, the ransom payments has a time-limit, to add another level of psychological constraint to this extortion scheme. Going over the deadline typically means that the ransom will increase, but it can also mean that the data will be destroyed and lost forever.\
It uses a complex set of evasion techniques to go undetected by traditional antivirus (more on this in the “Why ransomware often goes undetected by antivirus” section);
It often recruits the infected PCs into botnets, so cyber criminals can expand their infrastructure and fuel future attacks;
It can spread to other PCs connected in a local network, creating further damage;
It frequently features data exfiltration capabilities, which means that ransomware can extract data from the affected computer (usernames, passwords, email addresses, etc.) and send it to a server controlled by cyber criminals;
It sometimes includes geographical targeting, meaning the ransom note is translated into the victim’s language, to increase the chances for the ransom to be paid.
Meanwhile Hacker's in China tried to seize control of the ‘kill switch’ used to prevent many of the "WannaCry ransomware" attacks that have been causing chaos across the world.