By: Brian Prince, eWeek
McAfee’s threat report for the second quarter spotlights increases in ransomware, AutoRun worms and password-stealing malware. The number of new ransomware samples jumped roughly 50 percent between the first and second quarters of 2012, according to a new report from McAfee. Ransomware restricts access to infected computer systems so that attackers can extort payments in exchange for restoring access. According to McAfee, the number of new ransomware threats increased to more than 120,000 during the second quarter, a significant jump from the first quarter. Just recently, the FBI issued another warning about a scheme that used ransomware known as Reveton along with the Citadel platform to infect users. Once the victim’s computer was infected with Reveton, they would receive a demand posing as a message from authorities that claimed the infected computer had been locked due to a link to child pornography. The attackers would then demand payment.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/McAfee-Ransomware-Malware-on-the-Rise-705358/
Share on Facebook