Tox and you can create your own Ransomware! THE McAfee φέρεται να αποκάλυψε ένα πρωτότυπο κακόβουλο software (malware) that acts as a Service! The first Ransomware-as-a-service called Tox is a fact! The amazing thing is that Tox is distributed free.
McAfee Labs researchers discovered Tox on May 19 while surfing the Dark Web. According to the company malware updated on May 21st with FAQs and improved design. The core hasn't changed.
Highlights:
Tox is free. You just have to sign up for the site.
Tox uses TOR and Bitcoin. This allows some degree of anonymity.
Malicious software works as it advertises.
But how does a Ransomware-as-a-service work, and in particular the Tox?
Once you register on the webσελίδα of “product”, you can create your own malware in three simple steps.
- Enter the ransom amount, the website gets 20% of the ransom you will request.
- Enter "your cause." You should state why you locked the victim's computer (piracy, browsing adult sites, possession of pornographic material, etc.)
- Add captcha characters and you're ready.
This process creates an executable of about 2MB disguised as a .scr file. Then Tox "clients" can start distributing the malware as they wish. The Tox website (from the TOR network) will monitor the facilities as well as the profits. To earn your profits, after paying the commission, you must have a Bitcoin address.
Malicious software will encrypt all the data of its victims and ask for ransom.
Technical information
Although easy to use and functional, the malware seems to lack sophistication and effectiveness in code. The developer or developers seem to have left many strings that can lead to their detection.
Examples:
- C: / Users /Swogo/Desktop/work/tox/cryptopp/secblock.h
- C: / Users /Swogo/Desktop/work/tox/cryptopp/filters.h
- C: / Users /Swogo/Desktop/work/tox/cryptopp/cryptlib.h
- C: / Users /Swogo/Desktop/work/tox/cryptopp/simple.h
The malware created by Tox has been compiled with MinGW and uses AES encryption with Crypto ++ library. Microsoft CryptoAPI is used to generate keys.
We do not expect Tox to be the latest malware to embrace this model. We also expect more specialized development and changes in encryption and tax evasion techniques.
We would like to thank Alexander Matrosov of the Intel Advanced Threat Research Group for his help with research she.