[IP] more on ransomware

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Christian Huitema <huitema@windows.microsoft.com>
Date: June 2, 2006 3:02:19 AM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: RE: [IP] ransomware

Note the follow-up story at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5038330.stm, "Extortion virus code
gets cracked". "Poor programming has allowed anti-virus companies to
discover the password to retrieve the hijacked data inside a virus that
has claimed at least one UK victim..."

-- Christian huitema

> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Farber [mailto:dave@farber.net]
> Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 6:14 AM
> To: ip@v2.listbox.com
> Subject: [IP] ransomware
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Brian Randell <Brian.Randell@ncl.ac.uk>
> Date: June 1, 2006 6:52:15 AM EDT
> To: dave@farber.net
> Subject: Fwd: ransomware
>
> Dave:
>
> Our local security coordinator spotted this BBCnews item - I thought
> you might want it for IP, unless the scam is already all too
> prevalent in the USA.
>
> cheers
>
> Brian
>
>
>
> > From
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/5034384.stm
> >
> > Woman targeted by web hackers
> > A woman from Greater Manchester has become a victim of an internet
> > scam
> > in which hackers hijack computer files and blackmail owners to get
> > them
> > back.
> > Helen Barrow, a 40-year-old nurse from Rochdale, is believed to be
one
> > of the first victims of the con in the UK.
> >
> > Criminals encrypt files with complex passwords, leaving a ransom
note
> > telling victims not to contact police.
> >
> > Ms Barrow's note said that she would have to buy drugs from an
online
> > pharmacy to find out the password.
> >
> > The new phenomenon, known as Ransomware, means victims cannot
> > access any
> > of the files stored in their My Documents folder.
> >
> > Ms Barrow, from Littleborough, discovered her computer files had
> > vanished and replaced by one 30-digit password-protected folder.
> >
> >
> >  When I realised what had happened, I just felt sick to the core
> > Helen Barrow
> > She also found a new file named "instructions how to get your files
> > back".
> >
> > Ms Barrow contacted police and an IT expert who managed to recover
> > some
> > of her files, which included coursework for her nursing degree.
> >
> > The senior sister said: "When I realised what had happened, I just
> > felt
> > sick to the core.
> >
> > "I was in shock.
> >
> > "It was a horrible feeling and I thought I was going to lose all of
my
> > work.
> >
> >
> > "I had lots of family photographs and personal letters on the
computer
> > and to think that other people could have been looking at them was
> > awful."
> >
> > A message had appeared on her computer screen telling her she had
> > contracted an unnamed virus.
> >
> > It is thought the message was part of the scam and she inadvertently
> > downloaded it.
> >
> > The virus is known as Archiveus and victims are told to buy
> > pharmaceutical drugs from an internet chemist thought to be based in
> > Russia.
> >
> > A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "Our High Tech Crime
> > Unit is
> > aware of this new type of crime and incidents of this kind could
> > increase in future."
> >
> > Story from BBC NEWS:
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/manchester/5034384.stm
> >
> > Published: 2006/05/31 15:59:53 GMT
> >
> > (c) BBC MMVI
>
>
> --
> School of Computing Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon
> Tyne,
> NE1 7RU, UK
> EMAIL = Brian.Randell@ncl.ac.uk   PHONE = +44 191 222 7923
> FAX = +44 191 222 8232  URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/
>
>
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