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Imagine a virus that invades your computer and seizes your files, not releasing them until you send money to an anonymous online account. The hackers could be anywhere in the world, and all the police can do is file a report. Your choice: pay the ransom or lose the files.
Such cases of "ransom-ware" are on the rise, say Internet security experts. A recent report by Kaspersky Lab, a PC security firm based in Moscow, says that "these blackmailing viruses," which first appeared in early 2004, have "reached a peak of activity in 2006." Nobody knows exactly how many computers have been affected, but experts estimate the number has jumped into the low thousands this year. "Ransomware is the next evolution in spyware," says Ira Winkler, an Internet security expert and author of Spies Among Us .
Ransomware is spread through Trojan-horse programs sent out as spam or hidden on malicious sites. About 60 percent of it comes from Brazil, Russia and Romania. Antivirus vendors have identified three variations: One demands that the victim purchase products from an online Russian pharmacy. Another threatens to delete files every half hour until the victim sends a $10.99 money order to a designated account. The third type, first noticed in March, demands a $300 payment through some form of online currency, like eGold or Webmoney.
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It may seem like a joke, but hackers could easily inflict more damage once they gain access to computer files. "Now what we're seeing are much smaller, more targeted attacks, sometimes looking for bank numbers and other information that can be traded in for cash," says Ron O'Brien, a senior security analyst for the antivirus company Sophos.
Last month, Kaspersky warned that the algorithms used by cybercriminals are becoming increasingly complicated. Since January, the company's analysts have seen an increase in the size of encryption keys from 56 bits to as much as 660 bits. So far, experts have been able to disarm even these bigger keys. "But who knows?" says Shane Coursen, a Kaspersky consultant. "Maybe during their next attempt, no one will be ableto break their encryption."
What should you do if you fall prey to ransomware? Don't pay the ransom; filea police report instead. "It should be treated just like you would treat any other crime," says Buck French, CEO of Securify. And in the meantime, back up your files.
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