[su_heading] CERBER 4.0 is the latest variant of the CERBER ransomware family, whose presence is becoming increasingly noticeable in sophisticated malicious advertising campaigns.[/su_heading]
The new variant of the notorious ransomware CERBER recently made its appearance in the “wild”. For the distribution of the malicious software, criminals exploit various exploit kits, including RIG, Neutrino, and Magnitude EKs.
According to experts at Trend Micro, CERBER 4.0 first appeared in October and has already managed to become particularly popular in the cybercriminal “ecosystem”, where it is used to fuel various malicious campaigns.
The CERBER ransomware has evolved rapidly since its initial appearance, and is now considered one of the most successful additions to the Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). The sophisticated software encrypts victims' files and adds a random file extension to them, unlike previous versions that used the .cerber3, .cerber2, and .cerber extensions.
Experts observed that the new variant of the ransomware spreads mainly via RIG, which is the most active exploit kit at this time.
“CERBER has evolved into one of the most prominent ransomware families for the year 2016. It offers a wide range of capabilities and is often bought and sold as a service (Ransomware-as-a-service or RAAS). The rapid release of new CERBER versions has made it one of the most popular payloads for several exploit kits at the current point in time,” says TrendMicro.
Experts have observed numerous malicious campaigns that are based on CERBER, while several of them are spread with the help of fake gambling advertisements and online casinos.
