Emsisoft, the IT firm recently released a fix for the bug that is hovering in the WannaCryFake, the bitcoin-ransoming malware. WannaCryFake is another version of the popular WannaCry ransomware which targeted the computers from Microsoft in 2017. It works by either encrypting the victims’ data with AES-256 or using an encryption standard much more advanced than the existing.
It was announced in a post recently, that the software will aid in recovering encrypted data making sure nothing is lost in the process.
Ransomware depends on the hacker’s intend to ask for a reward in return for the software’s normal functioning. Ransomware grew by 118% in 2019, which made the new threats per minute over 500. This was released in a recent report by McAfee.
A spokesman infected with ransomware said that he received a message that said:
You have to pay for decryption in bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us. After payment, we will send you the tool that will decrypt all your files.
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People infected are asked to get in touch with the distributors of ransomware via ProtonMail and Telegram, from where they get instructions on how to proceed. They are made to send bitcoin through Pidgin.
The virus, however, suggests that LocalBitcoin is the most convenient way to trade Bitcoin. It also gives a reference to a guide to using bitcoin for those who are unaware of the technology.
The malware also warns,
Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our), or you can become a victim of a scam.
After it is downloaded, Emsisoft Decryptor employs the file that is corrupted along with the original file to bind the keys that are required to decrypt the infected data together. Since the protocol employs the same extensions of the filename to find out the parameters of encryption, customers are asked not to rename their files.
Emsisoft’s software lets the victims maintain a track of the process of decryption with the Save Log button.
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With increased ransoming malware in Bitcoin, incidents of crypto-jacking also have risen by 29% since last year. This is all in the presence of increased difficulty in bitcoin mining with growing hash rate.
