What is the problem? Why isn't everyone talking about this? The FBI has absolutely no clue what to do and the ransom is Bitcoin. So, what joy, the FBI can't find the perpetrator or arrest them. How great is this.
December 8, 2014
NPR spoke with other victims (click here) who did not want to be named for fear of losing their jobs or customers. But they described the same sequence of events.
One small business even called 911.
Lt. Catherine Buckley with the Colorado Springs Police Department reviews the call log for NPR.
The attack happened on Nov. 12. An officer went to the crime scene immediately. But when he got there, employees decided he couldn't really solve the problem. So they didn't file a police report. He left within 20 minutes.
Buckley reads from the department notes: "One of the employees had either received an email, or clicked on a link which opened up the malware CryptoWall 2.0."
The Tennessee company decided not to pay. It didn't trust the hackers to give back the files, so it relied on backups that it had. The Colorado Springs company did pay, in the amount of $750.
And here's where it gets weirder.
While ransomware criminals used to accept prepaid cards and other familiar forms of payment, they're now moving into so-called "cryptocurrency." Some rings only take Bitcoin, the electronic cash that's popular among hedge fund investors and online drug traders....
It originated in Russia, then it went global.
May 14, 2014
Donald Leinwand Leger
On a bitter cold Friday in January, (click here) an ominous warning popped up on a computer screen at the Chamber of Commerce in Bennington, Vt.
The warning — next to a ticking countdown clock — threatened to destroy all data on the computer if the chamber refused to pay a $400 ransom within 40 hours.
Local computer whiz Max Squires quickly identified the culprit: CryptoLocker, computer malware that freezes access to every file, including photos, documents and programs with a secret pass key known only to the hacker.
Solution: None.
Hackers operating on the Internet's "Dark Web" are spreading a new, more sophisticated generation of the malicious software known as "ransomware," anonymously shaking down anyone with an unprotected computer, from lawyers and cops to small businesses. Where small groups of anonymous hackers once hit individual consumers, the hackers have now organized into crime syndicates that boldly launch massive attacks against entire companies, computer experts and law enforcement authorities said....
January 13, 2014
Eric Geiger
With the nasty CryptoLocker malware (click here) making the rounds—encrypting its victims’ files, and then refusing to provide the unlock key unless a payment of $300 is made via Bitcoin or a prepaid cash voucher—ransomware is back in the spotlight.
You can remove many ransomware viruses without losing your files, but with some variants that isn’t the case. In the past I’ve discussed general steps for removing malware and viruses, but you need to apply some specific tips and tricks for ransomware. The process varies and depends on the type of invader. Some procedures involve a simple virus scan, while others require offline scans and advanced recovery of your files. I categorize ransomware into three varieties: scareware, lock-screen viruses, and the really nasty stuff.....
...Ransomware has gotten so powerful, Morales says, the hackers really do lock down victims' data: "The truth is, is we have no way to recover their data if it gets destroyed. So we can't help them."
The very best defense, he says, is having a backup that's not connected to your machine in any way. Storing things on the cloud or on a USB drive that's plugged into your computer won't cut it.
December 8, 2014
NPR spoke with other victims (click here) who did not want to be named for fear of losing their jobs or customers. But they described the same sequence of events.
One small business even called 911.
Lt. Catherine Buckley with the Colorado Springs Police Department reviews the call log for NPR.
The attack happened on Nov. 12. An officer went to the crime scene immediately. But when he got there, employees decided he couldn't really solve the problem. So they didn't file a police report. He left within 20 minutes.
Buckley reads from the department notes: "One of the employees had either received an email, or clicked on a link which opened up the malware CryptoWall 2.0."
The Tennessee company decided not to pay. It didn't trust the hackers to give back the files, so it relied on backups that it had. The Colorado Springs company did pay, in the amount of $750.
And here's where it gets weirder.
While ransomware criminals used to accept prepaid cards and other familiar forms of payment, they're now moving into so-called "cryptocurrency." Some rings only take Bitcoin, the electronic cash that's popular among hedge fund investors and online drug traders....
It originated in Russia, then it went global.
May 14, 2014
Donald Leinwand Leger
On a bitter cold Friday in January, (click here) an ominous warning popped up on a computer screen at the Chamber of Commerce in Bennington, Vt.
The warning — next to a ticking countdown clock — threatened to destroy all data on the computer if the chamber refused to pay a $400 ransom within 40 hours.
Local computer whiz Max Squires quickly identified the culprit: CryptoLocker, computer malware that freezes access to every file, including photos, documents and programs with a secret pass key known only to the hacker.
Solution: None.
Hackers operating on the Internet's "Dark Web" are spreading a new, more sophisticated generation of the malicious software known as "ransomware," anonymously shaking down anyone with an unprotected computer, from lawyers and cops to small businesses. Where small groups of anonymous hackers once hit individual consumers, the hackers have now organized into crime syndicates that boldly launch massive attacks against entire companies, computer experts and law enforcement authorities said....
January 13, 2014
Eric Geiger
With the nasty CryptoLocker malware (click here) making the rounds—encrypting its victims’ files, and then refusing to provide the unlock key unless a payment of $300 is made via Bitcoin or a prepaid cash voucher—ransomware is back in the spotlight.
You can remove many ransomware viruses without losing your files, but with some variants that isn’t the case. In the past I’ve discussed general steps for removing malware and viruses, but you need to apply some specific tips and tricks for ransomware. The process varies and depends on the type of invader. Some procedures involve a simple virus scan, while others require offline scans and advanced recovery of your files. I categorize ransomware into three varieties: scareware, lock-screen viruses, and the really nasty stuff.....
...Ransomware has gotten so powerful, Morales says, the hackers really do lock down victims' data: "The truth is, is we have no way to recover their data if it gets destroyed. So we can't help them."
The very best defense, he says, is having a backup that's not connected to your machine in any way. Storing things on the cloud or on a USB drive that's plugged into your computer won't cut it.
