The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIR) analyses exploit, vulnerabilities, and malware threats using data from Internet services. The report shed some light on the Ransomware topic. Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts complete access to the computer or its files, until the victim agrees to pay the demanded amount of money as a fee to the attacker.
Ransomware rise in Europe
Locations where ransomware families have managed to slip in through security programs were mainly in Europe including (in alphabetical order),
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- Germany
- Ireland
- Norway
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
Like scareware, a ransomware infection is designed to trick the user into paying the fine, regardless of anything. The gateway for receiving the fee as a fine is via electronic money transfer. Most recent ransomware threats are better known as “FBI Moneypak” or the “FBI ransomware virus”. The moniker used is because common use of logos of law enforcement agencies.
Some routinely encountered ransomware families include:
Win32/Reveton
Locks computers and displays a webpage that demands the user to pay a fine for the supposed possession of illicit material. It was the most commonly encountered ransomware family worldwide in the first half of 2013.
Win32/Weelsof
The second most commonly detected ransomware family worldwide in the first half of 2013.
Win32/Tobfy
The third most commonly detected ransomware family worldwide in the first half of 2013.
Win32/Urausy
The most commonly detected malware family worldwide in 4Q12, declined significantly in 1Q13 before increasing slightly in 2Q13.
Microsoft recommends victims of ransomware infections to not pay any amount as a fine to these warnings and observe certain precautionary steps to protect your PC from ransomware.
Incidentally, HitmanPro.Alert is a free Ransomware Protection & Browser Intrusion Detection Tool. CryptoPrevent is another handy tool which provides your computer a shield against Cryptolocker or any other kind of ransomware. Anvi Rescue Disk for Windows will assist in ransomware removal. HitmanPro.Kickstart will help remove Ransomware. Backup is the best defense against Cryptolocker Ransomware, says Microsoft
