Scary new "blackmailing" virus

A friend just sent me this link.

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/06/06/230968/variant-of-blackmailing-virus-now-spreading-on-the-web.htm

Synopsis: This virus encrypts your files and then offers to sell you a decryption tool. So far, the antivirus folks haven't managed to crack the encryption key.

Yes, I just saw something about that. Thanks for the head's up.

I have my own decryption tool. Reinstall. All my important files are on an external drive that's disconnected when not needed.

ok since the creator/owner provided an email addy, wouldn't it be easier to just track him/her down thru it?

Another reason not to let my 15 year old have free reign of the desktop.

I lost a whole bunch of original texture files last Friday (for other reasons than this virus) and oddly enough, didn't lose my most critical ones because I had uploaded them to the grid's asset server.

Strange but true...

Emails are throwaway run from net cafes, insecure wireless networks, etc.
The centre is probably in Russia. Good luck.

Try follow the money.

and ...

Most people have probably received those spams that are looking for people to process payments on behalf of a business that doesn't have an office in 'your' country. That sort of flavour. I see it wall to wall in spam filters.

The money will go through a chain of these mules/dupes.

Wait.. my pron is in danger?

ahh ok ...good thing i usually chuck those.

this seems to be similar to the smitfraud virus out there

hubby has it on his PC so at the moment it is not being used

basically it disables things, and sends a popup that you are infected with a link to a site to get software to clean it out

annoying and neither of us are comfortable messing with the registry, so will be taking it to the computer guy to clean it out

Nooooo we must save the Pron!!!

*whew* I am glad it just isn't me worried.

I honestly believe we should be able to request our ISPs block all access (for us) to and from countries which enforcement cannot reach.

On the other hand, this virus is not to be worried about any more than any other virus. Encrypting your data is actually _nicer_ that deleting it, which other viruses would do.

i've had a few of these russian things..they used to be spyware blackmails that did the same thing..they run a scan telling you that you have 5,000 infections and you need to buy this software to get rid of it..they'll have it cracked soon..
it sounds more like spyware than a virus really to me..they sound identical and were a pain to get rid of manually

I have just had the same thing happen...It was the IEantivirus pop up, I spoke with the computer geeks and they told me it is an application file, that tells you there is something wrong, but there is nothing there... Lucky my P.C. was 8 yrs.old, and in need of joining P.C. heaven...Now I have brand new 1 complete with Vista, not XP, Firefox not IE6..Then to cap it all, everything is in German..Not bad for an English guy living in Austria, and not being able to speak much German...Yes I really did say 8 yrs.old and I have been using SL on it for 6 months...Good old HP, they really do make long lasting P.C.'s...

You rock.

Save yourself a couple bucks, if you actually have smitfraud use

http://siri.geekstogo.com/SmitfraudFix.php

very simple walkthrough with no registry editing... the only downside is once the tool is done you loose your current desktop background and have to set it again.

enforcement can reach any and every country. It is just tracking down the author that takes time.... Kevin Mitnik was U.S. based.. and had free rein for years before he got caught... the comcast hijack 2 weeks ago was U.S. based... should we ban access to the U.S? (i know these are hacks not viruses.. but both fall under computer criminal codes and both just as difficult to track down) sounds good to me *nods*

virus's haven't deleted your files since the dos days, and even then they corrupted the master boot sector, or moved the partition table to a different sector rather then delete the files and could be repaired.... very very few viruses actually delete files, doing unrecoverable damage to systems stands a bigger chance of you getting busted by the feds as corporate America calls for your head. *looks shifty* not that I know anything about this stuff.

Yea, the whole "haxxor" thing is kind of amusing.

After all these years, you'd think people would be a bit wiser?

But no, they click on things, leave their systems exposed without Anti-virus or anti-spyware software, or answer unsolicited emails from total strangers. I won't go into the whole "virus infected bit torrent" stuff.

Yeah but you got to worry about "antivirus software" when you pay money for it and it announces it just cleaned 5 new virus's found on your PC apparently contracted while sitting on the floor unplugged for 6 weeks. Or contracts new virus's without and internet connection or loading any new disks into it.

AVG 8.0 is a free anti-virus, spyware, and any other nasty programs attacker.
It may slow down your system while scaning, but you can cancel that periodically.
Basiclay nothing you don't want can't get in, plus it will get update daily.

Yep, this and spybot keep my PC happy and healthy.

I just run a scan at a time when I'm not using the computer, so slow down is not a problem. But it is a great program, especially at the price. I use that, Spybot, and the Windows Firewall, and have never had any problems.