{"id":205367,"date":"2016-04-09T06:39:36","date_gmt":"2016-04-09T06:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=205367"},"modified":"2016-04-09T06:39:36","modified_gmt":"2016-04-09T06:39:36","slug":"the-new-ransomware-that-knows-where-you-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/04\/the-new-ransomware-that-knows-where-you-live\/","title":{"rendered":"The new ransomware that knows where you live"},"content":{"rendered":"
A widely distributed scam email that quoted people’s postal addresses links to a dangerous form of ransomware, according to a security researcher.<\/p>\n
Andrew Brandt, of US firm Blue Coat, contacted the BBC after hearing an episode of BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours that discussed the phishing scam.<\/p>\n
Mr Brandt discovered that the emails linked to ransomware called Maktub.<\/p>\n
The malware encrypts victims’ files and demands a ransom be paid before they can be unlocked.<\/p>\n
The phishing emails told recipients they owed hundreds of pounds to UK businesses and that they could print an invoice by clicking on a link – but that leads to malware, as Mr Brandt explained.<\/p>\n
One of the emails was received by You and Yours reporter Shari Vahl.<\/p>\n
“It’s incredibly fast and by the time the warning message had appeared on the screen it had already encrypted everything of value on the hard drive – it happens in seconds,” Mr Brandt told the BBC.<\/p>\n
“This is the desktop version of a smash and grab – they want a quick payoff.”<\/p>\n