A new and more aggressive way for criminals to make cash from fake antivirus has emerged.
It involves malware hijacking a user's computer until victims pay up or reformat the system.
Previously, the victim would be sent a series of warnings to buy a paid version of the fake antivirus, but security firm Panda warned that this was now being combined with ransomware.
An infected computer is unable to run a program or open a document, and only responds with a message that all files were infected and the only solution is to buy the fake antivirus.
The fake antivirus would be offered for around 75, with users paying the ransom' receiving a serial number to type into the application.
Once this data is entered, all the information held hostage would be released, although the fake antivirus will remain on the system.
"Users are often infected unknowingly, in most cases, through visiting hacked websites, and once a computer is infected it is extremely difficult to eliminate the threat, even for those with a certain degree of technical knowledge," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs, in a statement.
"Users are also prevented from using an type of detection or disinfection tool, as all programs are blocked. The only application that can be used is the internet browser, conveniently allowing the victim to pay for the fake antivirus," he added.
-
Ransomware negotiator sentenced for role in major cyber crime groupNews Deniss Zolotarjovs was a key player in a group associated with Conti
-
Threat actors ditch ‘spray and pray’ attacks in shift to targeted exploitationNews A dip in ransomware volumes points to a more targeted approach focused on vulnerability exploitation
-
Security leaders overconfident about ransomware recoveryNews Few manage to recover all their data, and many experience business disruption
-
German authorities want your help finding the hackers behind GandCrab and REvilNews Daniil Maksimovich Shchukin and Anatoly Sergeevitsch Kravchuk are believed to have made millions from ransomware as a service schemes
-
The rise of teen hackers ‘makes for a good headline’, but cyber crime activities peak later in life
News With family responsibilities and mortgages to pay, it's not teenagers dishing out malware or carrying out cyber extortion
-
Ransomware gangs are using employee monitoring software as a springboard for cyber attacks
News Two attempted attacks aimed to exploit Net Monitor for Employees Professional and SimpleHelp
-
Ransomware gangs are sharing virtual machines to wage cyber attacks on the cheap – but it could be their undoingNews Thousands of attacker servers all had the same autogenerated Windows hostnames, according to Sophos
-
Google issues warning over ShinyHunters-branded vishing campaignsNews Related groups are stealing data through voice phishing and fake credential harvesting websites
