After hacking PCs, Cyber criminals have now begun targeting Smartphones with a special piece of malicious software that locks up the devices until the victims pay a ransom to get the keys to unlock the phone, called Ransomware.
Ransomware typically targets users' personal computers and has become a profitable way for cyber criminals to earn money.
To deliver the Ransomware malwares to the mobile devices, cyber criminals have started creating malicious software programs that masquerade as antivirus apps or other play store apps, but instead of protecting your smart devices, they lock up your Smartphone until you pay a ransom to unlock it.
RANSOMWARE - POLICE & CRYPTOLOCKER
As we reported earlier in news updates, security researchers disclosed various Police ransomware targeting users' personal computers. The ransomware software once installed, cyber criminals attempts to lock the victim's computer hard disk and files from a remote location.
Usually, the police ransomware masquerade as an official warning from a law enforcement agency, which claims that the victim's PC has been determined to have visited illegal websites and payment is necessary for a fine to restore the computer's functionality.
Cryptolocker is another infamous member of Ransomware family, designed to extort money from computer users by holding computer files hostage until the computer user pays a ransom fee to get them back. The Cryptolocker hijacker sniffs out your personal files and wraps them with strong encryption before it demands money.
Cryptolocker Ransomware is just like any other computer infection, but it can be potentially worse since it can cause permanent damage, such as deleted files and files that become encrypted forever and the infected users are in danger of losing their personal files forever.
POLICE RANSOMWARE TARGETING SMARTPHONES
Similar threat has come to Smartphone devices as well and Android users might soon become the victims of "Police Locker" ransomware malware. According to recent report from the researcher behind the Malware don't need Coffee blog, Cyber Criminals behind the Reveton ransomware have joined Nertra Ransomware team to target Android users, along with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
To Deliver the ransomware malware hackers are using various social engineering techniques, include lockers system, fake Antivirus solution, fake audio-video codecs and Browlock ransomware.
According to the researcher, The booby-trapped (malicious) websites are so cleverly crafted in such a way:
- If victim visits it using Internet Explorer browser, a variant of ransomware Winlock will be offered.
- If victim surf it with any other browser on Windows, Linux or Mac, they will offer Brownlock malware
- If victim visits the site with Android browser, he will be redirected to a fake website that will automatically download a malicious application (APK file ) from the browser, disguised as a video downloader.
Like other popular ransomware threats, such as FBI MoneyPak Ransomware, Ukash Virus and Police Central E-Crime Unit (PCEU) Ransomware, Android version also displays a message to threaten the user with arrest or prosecution because child pornography or other objectionable material has been found on the device. Scared or frustrated users are often willing to pay hundreds of dollars to avoid the fine or to free their system again.
We also came across a report in which a man killed his 4 year old baby and then himself committed suicide after his computer got infected with "police ransomware," which is an extent of Ransomware that has marked its history by someone's blood.
If You are already infected by any one of such malwares, stop your keyboard and don't pay the fine. Install updated Antivirus software to get rid of the ransomware virus.
Android users are always advised to treat unrecognized applications or applications from third-party sources with extreme caution and try to always download applications from trusted App Stores.
