Extortion virus makes rounds in Russia

Jeremy Kirk   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other Spam, Malware and Vulnerabilities Stories  

The Secure Web Gateway. Mission Critical For Business Client Security Podcast Windows Vista® Migration: What Really Happens? A Customer's Perspective Learn How to Think Ahead of Attacks and Protect your Data For the Future IronPort Web Reputation Filters Tech Note IronPort Encryption Technology: Safeguarding Business Email Compterworld Technology Briefing: Intelligent Users Use Business Intelligence Computerworld Report- Large Enterprises Pay More for IPAM An Apple for Your Enterprise? Sign up to receive Spam, Malware and Vulnerabilities Resource Alerts

October 25, 2005 (IDG News Service) -- Two new versions of a virus first reported in May are staging renewed attacks against computers in Russia, encrypting files and then extorting money from victims to decode the files.

After an infection, the Russian-language instructions let victims know how many of their files have been encrypted. Translated, the warning says, "If you want to get these damn files in the decrypted format" then write to the e-mail address given. The message goes on to say, "P.S. And be thankful that they were not completely erased!"

The viruses, called JuNy.A and JuNy.B, search for more than 100 file types by extension, according to a warning issued by Websense Inc. The renewed attack was first reported on a weblog published by Kaspersky Lab Ltd.

So far, the viruses appear to be limited to Russia, and it's not known how many computers have been affected. The viruses are similar to one that struck in May called "gpcode," said David Emm, senior technology consultant for Kaspersky in the U.K. The gpcode included an e-mail address where presumably a fee for the decoder would be negotiated, he said.

"As I understand, this thing was progressive, and it would gradually encrypt more and more stuff," Emm said.

Left alone, the virus would encrypt everything but a text file, Emm said. It's suspected that the virus enters a computer after a user visits a certain Web site and then exploits a vulnerability, Emm said. Another theory is the virus is activated after a user runs some type of executable code containing the virus, Emm said.

But it isn't easy tracing the origins of the viruses because "by the time you get to hear of these things it's kind of erasing information on the host machine," Emm said.

Virus writers who seek to extort money from victims are nothing new and have been around since at least 1989, Emm said. In the last couple of years, however, virus writers have moved away from writing malicious code simply to display their skills and are increasingly trying to make money, he said.

Reprinted with permission from

IDG.net
Story copyright 2008 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"The recent attacks in Mumbai were carried out by assailants using high tech methods. It’s just another way in which..." Read more... Read more Security posts or See all Blogs

Microsoft spells out Vista SP2 contents Clues point to Jan. 13 release of Windows 7 beta Transmitting data from the middle of nowhere More top stories...

Virtually every Windows PC at risk, says Secunia License server glitch exposes SonicWall users to e-mail security threats In high-tech schools of the future, Facebook in class is boosted -- not banned

Review: The new MacBook Air, now with extra SSD goodness Thin as ever, the latest Air offers up to twice the storage and snappy performance. Cool Stuff: Your 2008 Holiday Gift Guide We've got an array of economical, expensive, and just plain weird tech gifts for your friends and family. Massive botnet returns from the dead, starts spamming The spam-spewing 'Srizbi' botnet that was shut down two weeks ago has been resurrected and is again under criminal control, say security researchers. Elgan: Why you can't trust 'friends' on Facebook Facebook is popular and growing -- especially with criminals. Here's why they love it. Windows 7 Get the latest news, reviews and more about Microsoft's newest desktop operating system More Continuing Coverage Windows 7 Voting Technology Google's Chrome browser Economy in turmoil: Latest news and tips iPhone 3G Bill Gates moves on Windows Vista A to Z Mac A to Z 2008 Salary Survey Find wage data for 50 IT job titles. More Special Reports 2008 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2008 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2008 Salary Survey 2007 Salary Survey 2006 Salary Survey 2008 IT Forecast 2007 IT Forecast 40 Years of Computerworld Top 12 Green-IT Users The FAQs About Going Green IT Schools to Watch iPhone: One Year Later Global Mobile Your Next Data Center Management: Reinventing IT Stop Data Leaks Web 2.0 Security Surviving Disasters Managing Storage Virtualization The Lean Storage Machine Storage on Trial Can Web 2.0 Save BI? Bypass These BI Potholes All Zones Business Continuity Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone The SAS Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone The Enterprise Search Zone Software as a Service Zone The Security Zone See your link here

Moving to Windows Vista: The Promise, The Reality Moving to Windows Vista: The Promise, The Reality View this exclusive webcast today! Go to the webcast  Managing Mobile Data with Endpoint Security for Laptops Download this white paper now, compliments of Computerworld and Absolute Software. (Source: Absolute Software) A NetworkWorld survey of IT professionals found that only 1 in 100 employees consistently follow data security policy. This paper outlines endpoint security for laptops that restricts data access beyond encryption to safeguard against insider threats and user error.Read this whitepaper to learn lessons from recent data breaches, limitations of traditional data security, and how to remotely wipe out data and monitor computers that go off the network. Download this executive briefing  Record Capacity for Microsoft® Exchange 2007 With VMware and IBM System x3850 M2 Download this white paper today! (Source: VMware) The more that e-mail becomes an entrenched IT infrastructure application, the more that messaging administrators face numerous--sometimes conflicting--demands in the categories of availability, flexibility and cost. Employing a virtual solution can help avoid expensive over-provisioning of server computing resources, while improving management and disaster recovery. And ultimately, it can more than double the number of supportable Exchange 2007 users, as compared to a non-virtualized environment. This whitepaper explains how to break down the scalability barrier and respond faster to your mail system needs. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. The Importance of Application Management Dell Client Migration and Deployment Services Windows® Enterprise Data Protection with Symantec Backup Exec" View more whitepapers

• Microsoft spells out Vista SP2 contents
• Virtually every Windows PC at risk, says Secunia
• Clues point to Jan. 13 release of Windows 7 beta
• More top stories