Ransomware encrypts user data and then demands ransom for decryption
Picture used for representational purpose. (photo: PTI/File)
New Delhi: A virus holding your computer and mobile for ransom? Internet security firm Kaspersky Lab has warned about a new ransomware; “Onion”. This come after “Police” ransomware had come into light few months back which infected mainly mobile phones, which were used to visit porn sites.
A ransomware, is a type of malware which encrypts user data and then demands ransom for decryption. It encrypts every kind of data that may be of value to the user without his or her knowledge. The data can include personal photos, archives, documents, databases and diagrams among others.
Kaspersky said that “Onion” is a new breed of encryption ransomware that uses a countdown mechanism to scare victims into paying for decryption in Bitcoins. The cybercriminals claim there is a strict 72-hour deadline to pay up, or all the files will be lost forever.
The ransomware is dangerous because it uses the anonymity provided by the Tor (which stands for The Onion Router) network to mask the location of the criminals behind the attack. It uses the anonymous network Tor to hide its malicious nature and makes it hard to track the actors behind this ongoing malware campaign.
To transfer secret data and payment information, the Onion communicates with command and control servers located somewhere inside the anonymous network. Kaspersky said that the very latest samples of the malware support a Russian-language interface. This fact and a number of strings inside the body of the Trojan suggest that the malware writers speak Russian, it added.
The Police ransomware infected mobile phones in over 30 countries, running on Google’s Android, which visited specific porn sites. It purported as a message from local police and demanded a ransom of between $100 and $300 in order to unlock the device.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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