Cryptolocker is a well-known ransomware that has been used in many cyber attacks over time, with the US government finally stopping the hackers' activities.
However, a clone of Cryptolocker has emerged under the name Cryptowall and has already been used in attacks that have already damaged thousands of computers.
So far, 625 thousand computers have been infected and a total of 5.25 billion files have been seized by hackers , just like Cryptolocker worked, but with the difference that Cryptowall can also infect files located on cloud servers , such as Google Drive and Dropbox .
The way Cryptowall is that in each file it infects, it embeds a different decryption key, with the result that only the person who knows the keys (i.e. the hacker) is able to unlock the file in question.
This, in simpler terms, means that unlucky users will have to pay the perpetrators $500 worth of Bitcoin in real money.
The techniques that activate Cryptowall vary, as it can be through spam emails or through infected sites from which unsuspecting users download files carrying the dangerous ransomware.
To protect themselves, users must have an antivirus program, firewall must be running, and they must be very careful with emails from unknown senders.
Source: e-pcmag.gr
