Items tagged with Ransomware
Getting hit with ransomware, a form of malware that encrypts your files and holds them hostage until you pay the hacker responsible to decrypt them, is no laughing matter, at least if you're the victim. But for cyber crooks becoming ever more brazen, the temptation to taunt victims and security researchers is...
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We’ve seen some rather nasty ransomware making the rounds over the past few months, but a new strain is wreaking havoc on computers around the globe. Brazilian firm Morphus Labs first discovered the Windows-based ransomware, which has been given the name Mamba.
So far, Mamba has been found on computers located in...
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If you operate a Web server that runs on Linux, we're here to give you a bit of a prod in case you haven't updated it in a while. A piece of ransomware called FairWare is floating around, and as you'll soon see, its name is ironic as it's anything but "fair".
Reports are coming in of users who have been struck with...
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A security researcher for AVG has discovered a new piece of ransomware called Fantom that masquerades as a critical Windows update. Victims who fall for the ruse will see a Windows screen acting like it's installing the update, but what's really happening is that the user's documents and files are being encrypted in...
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Go ahead and cue up Cartman's "No kitty, that's a bad kitty!" soundbite, only this time it's not in reference to stealing those delicious Cheesy Poofs. McAfee's mobile malware research division found a sample of ransomware for Android that it's calling "ElGato," and once infected, it can steal a user's SMS messages...
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It's beginning to look like some rather sophisticated hackers have made their way into Apple's core and crippled iCloud security so severely that some iPhones have essentially been held hostage. A few iPhones here and there might not seem like a big deal, but ultimately, there could be a staggering 40 million iCloud...
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It’s been a rough week for Adobe and its Flash plugin. This week, Microsoft announced that it is hitting the pause button on unnecessary and excessive Flash content on webpages, and now we’re learning that Adobe had to scramble to patch up yet another zero-day exploit in Flash.
This latest exploit is especially...
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Over the past few years, ransomware has become an ever growing threat to enterprise and personal users alike. If you’re unfamiliar with ransomware, it’s a piece of malware that infects a system, usually encrypts a user’s personal data – like photos, office documents, PDFs and the like – and then forces the user to pay...
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A medical center located in Hollywood, California, paid hackers 40 bitcoins worth nearly $17,000 in U.S. currency to decrypt its files that were being held ransom. The ransom amount is far less than the $3.6 million that was being thrown around when news of the security breach went public, but is no less disheartening...
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Could you go a full day without using your PC? It might not be all that difficult on a casual basis, but for workers at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, they've had the challenge of servicing patients without the aid of any computer systems for over a week due to a malware outbreak and subsequent ransom...
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It seems that it was just yesterday that someone had to know a thing or two about software and programming to wreak havoc on fine upstanding Internet citizens via malware incursion. Ah, the good old days. Nostalgia aside, though, one cannot help but feel rattled by the news that security researchers at McAfee have discovered new software with
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Thanks to antivirus software maker Kaspersky, you may not need to pony up to retrieve your files if your computer is infected with the hated CoinVault ransomware. The company announced that it has found a way to decrypt the files and is offering to help infected users for free.
The big break came from a Dutch...
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Sony was rocked by a massive ransomware attack in late November, and is still reeling from the effects. Most recently, Sony employees have been on the receiving end of threatening emails from the perpetrators of the hack: Guardians of Peace (#GOP).
Now we’re beginning to learn a bit more about the hack courtesy of...
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On November 24, Sony Pictures became the victim of a massive ransomware hack that resulted in the company shutting down its computer network. Since then, Sony Pictures has been investigating the possibility that it was North Korean hackers behind the attack, according to Variety.
According to unnamed sources...
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It appears that Sony has become the victim of a massive ransomware hack which has resulted in the company shutting down. An unnamed source spoke to Business 2 Community claiming that the company shut down after its computers in New York and around the nation were infiltrated.
The source, according to the website...
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You know malware is a steadily growing problem, but if you aren’t tuned into the cyber security industry, you might not know just how fast the threat is exploding. Hackers are taking computers hostage, stealing credit card data at ever-increasing rates, and spammers are winning the email war. McAfee released a...
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