Locky has become the most dangerous ransomware in the world

Russian hackers are suspected to be behind Locky virusRansomware is a specific term used to describe probably the most dangerous computer viruses. Once they are installed on the system, they can try to encrypt your personal information and then demand a ransom in exchange for a special decryption key. Usually, the ransom should be paid in a form of bitcoins – the virtual currency, which is worth around £290 for one bitcoin. The sum varies depending on malware. For example, the latest and the most dangerous ransomware requires three bitcoins, while previous versions have been trying to make people pay from one to two bitcoins in exchange for the decryption key. One of the strongest points of ransomware is AES algorithm, which is used to ‘lock’ people’s files. This type of algorithm has been used only by national security agencies in various countries, so there is no surprise that it is unbreakable without the special key, which is held by hackers.

The latest and the most dangerous ransomware is called Locky. This cyber threat showed up only one month ago but has already managed to infect thousands of computers. The most affected country is Germany, but it is believed that it is just a matter of time until this threat shows up in Great Britain. To know more about it and its role, continue reading.

Distribution techniques of Locky virus and other ransomware:

Cyber criminals have developed several ways to infect computers with Locky virus and similar ransomware. The predominant infiltration preference remains to be the spam and fake emails filled with infected attachments. The attached documents often try to convince their victims that they are important notifications from business partners, governmental authorities and similar sources. At the moment of writing, Locky spreads as a JavaScript and Word file, which presents itself as ‘Invoice’ and asks its victims to enable macros that activate the malware. However, it can also be hidden on illegal websites filled with adult content, pornography and similar content. However, we should mention that the previous versions of Locky (Teslacrypt, CTB Locker and Cryptolocker) have been spreading around with the help of trojan horses. In this case, trojans are typically hidden in seemingly legitimate files that install ransomware on the system right after being downloaded to it. Beware that there is a huge chance that Locky threat will start spreading around using the same strategy shortly

Ransomware causes:

In the past couple of years, ransomware viruses have received lots of attention. Starting with FBI virus and its British version called Police Central e-crime Unit virus, ransomware has been helping people to know what does it feel to find out about the loss of their files. In fact, ransomware-type viruses are set to encrypt victim’s data and change extensions of each of affected files. Beware that they can block each of your photos, business documents, music files and even art saved on your computer. Once you try to open any of such encrypted data, you get a ransom note asking you to make a special payment in exchange for a special decryption key. Typically, the ransom should be paid in bitcoins within several days. Fortunately, you can restore your files from backup, so if you want to feel safe, you need to think about extra copies of the most useful files you have on your computer.

Prevention:

It is believed that the most powerful ransomware threats that are spread on the Internet right now are CryptoWall, TeslaCrypt and Locky. Each of these viruses has been continuously updated, so there is no surprise that they have managed to extort more than £300 million. Speaking of the Locky virus, security company Fortinet has reported about 19 millions of virus copies spotted on the Internet in two weeks. However, it is believed that we will see even more reports related to ransomware as security experts keep discovering new variants of these threats each day. The latest of them are KeRanger, Cerber, TorrentLocker, Crypted.

In conclusion, while IT experts are trying to come up with the best confrontation strategies, Internet users, and private companies are recommended to be extremely careful while surfing online and reviewing emails more carefully. Finally, make sure that you have a reliable anti-spyware installed on your computer to prevent infiltration of ransomware.

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Ugnius Kiguolis
Ugnius Kiguolis - Expert in malware removal

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