Android/Lockerpin.A is the first known Android lock-screen ransomware that sets the PIN lock of a mobile phone and primarily targets users in the USA.
Once again we are here to discuss a new mobile ransomware, this time the malicious Android app named Android / Lockerpin.A locks «out» its victims by changing their PIN code used for screen lock until the owners pay a ransom $ US 500 dollars.
Android / Lockerpin.A, the app initially deceives users in order to obtain administrator privileges, displaying a fake installation patch window over an activation notification.
When victims click the “Continue” button, they grant the malicious app administrator privileges that allow the application to modify Android settings.
The Lockerpin ransomware changes the PIN used to unlock the phone's screen, then the user is only able to do a factory reset to regain control of the smartphone. Unlike other ransomware, restarting the mobile device in safe mode will not allow the owner to disable the malicious Lockerpin app.
According to ESET, Lockerpin is the first known Android lock-screen ransomware that sets the PIN lock of a mobile phone. It relies on users' fear of possibly losing all their data due to the phone's factory reset.
Lockerpin is distributed through third-party app stores and disguises itself as an app that provides adult content.
According to data provided by ESET, most of the infected Android devices are in the US (75%), with a percentage of over 75 percent.
