Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Alleged ransomware gang investigated by Moscow police

The gang made $25,000 in a month from victims who had to send SMS messages to unlock their PCs

Russian police are reportedly investigating a criminal gang that installed malicious "ransomware" programs on thousands of PCs and then forced victims to send SMS messages in order to unlock their PCs.

The scam has been ongoing and may have made Russian criminals millions of dollars, according to reports by Russian news agencies. Russian police seized computer equipment and detained a Russian "crime family" in connection with the crime, the ITAR-TASS News Agency reported Tuesday.

Russian-language reports say that 10 people are expected to be charged and that tens of thousands of Russian-language victims were hit by the scam, which also affected users in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.

The criminals reportedly used news sites to spread their malicious software, known as WinLock, which disables certain Windows components, rendering the PC unusable, and then displays pornographic images.

To unlock the code, victims must send SMS messages that cost between 300 rubles (US$9.72) and 1,000 rubles.

The scam is "very popular" in countries such as Russia at the moment, antivirus vendor Kaspersky Lab said in an e-mailed statement.

Security experts have tracked this type of software for more than a year now, but in most of the world it rarely shows up, according to Dave Marcus, director of McAfee Labs security research communications.

The software is not considered to be a very sophisticated threat, he said. "It's just locking your screen with a password you don't know, which is not that sophisticated when you get down to do."

Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert's e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: IDG, Kaspersky, Kaspersky Lab, McAfee, Symantec
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: cybercrime, kaspersky lab, legal, security
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Enhancing Decision-Making, Cost-Efficiency, and Profitability With Predictive Analytics
    Today’s managers must always look at the past, present, and future. They need reports on past performance to improve operational efficiency. Business intelligence (BI) platforms such as Information Builders WebFOCUS, are providing a unified decision-support environment where managers can retrieve and analyze data about past, present, and future activities. In this paper, we will discuss the incorporation of predictive modeling capabilities into the WebFOCUS BI platform, and highlight how this advanced functionality can dramatically improve decision-making, thus reducing risk and costs while increasing revenue and profits.
    Learn more »
  • Best Practices for Oracle License Management: Optimise Usage and Minimise Audit Liability
    With Oracle audits on the rise, organisations that can best align license agreements with actual database and option usage can reduce their financial risk and maximise the value of their Oracle investments. The goal is to “right-size” Oracle across the enterprise and gain control over the entire license management process – from accurate needs projections and licensing negotiations, to deployments and audit preparation. Read on.
    Learn more »
  • A Governance Guide for Hybrid SharePoint Migrations
    Cloud-based computing represents a powerful new option for managing enterprise content, offering increased flexibility, efficiency, and reduced cost for IT infrastructure, data storage, and applications. However, for a variety of business and technical reasons, most organisations will take a phased approach to adopting cloud-based services, which will require them to continue to maintain their on-premises SharePoint environments during the transition. This white paper, written by Chris Beckett from SharePoint Bits, discusses some of the benefits and risks of hybrid SharePoint deployments, and presents governance considerations that are essential for ensuring a successful migration.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments