The first major variant of ransomware, Cryptolocker has been mentioned in the module notes. After the takedown of Cryptolocker, CryptoWall (aka Crowti or Cryptodefense) appeared in 2014 and became the most prevalent ransomware. It encrypts a victim’s files with a public key, and the private key is kept in a remote server. In one version, the victim is directed by a link to a Tor webpage asking for payment using BitCoin. Another ransomware that became very prevalent in 2015 was TeslaCrypt (aka Tescrypt). It encrypts a victim’s file using AES-256 although it tells the user it is RSA-2048, a much longer key size. Undoubtedly, new variants will continue to victimize people as long as they are profitable.
You can refer to the following resources for more information on ransomware:
- Russinovich, M. (2013, January 7). Hunting down and killing ransomware (scareware). (Links to an external site.) Microsoft TechNet.
- S-CERT. (Last revised 2016, July 11). Alert TA16-091A: Ransomware and recent variants (Links to an external site.).
Respond to the following:
- Ransomware creators tend to keep the ransoms affordable and deliver the decryption key after payment (although there is no guarantee), in order to encourage future victims to pay. For these reasons, victims are sometimes advised to just pay the ransom. Should victims pay the ransom or seek other solutions?
- What are the latest encryption technologies and infection techniques currently being designed to tackle this issue?
- What legal issues does ransomware influence?
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