Ransomware targeting users in the UAE

By  Mark SuttonPublished  January 22, 2015
 
A new variant of ransomware appears to be affecting users in the GCC and the UAE in particular, according to security company ESET.
 
ESET said that it has recorded multiple incidences of the CTB-Locker ransomware in the region in a short space of time. CTB-Locker encrypts and locks users data and attempts to extract a ransom of 8 bitcoins, currently equivalent to $1680, from the victim.
 
The new ransomware which was identified by ESET researches has been observed all over the world with the highest density in Europe and Latin America. There is a big similarity between CTB-Locker and Crypto-Locker, an infamous piece of ransomware that has been making rounds in the cyber community since September 2013. While they both operate in the same manner in terms of encrypting the victim's machine, CTB-Locker uses a different type of encryption algorithm.
 
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