The Cryptolocker is a well-known ransomware which has been used in many cyberattacks from time to time, with the US government finally shutting down hackers.
However, one clone of Cryptolocker made its appearance under the name Cryptowall and has already been used in attacks that have already hurt thousands of computers.
So far they have been infected 625 thousands of computers and are committed by hackers altogether 5,25 billionmillions archives, just like Cryptolocker was working on, but with the difference Cryptowall can also infect files that are in cloud servers, such as Google Drive and dropbox.
The way it works Cryptowall is that in every file it infects, it also incorporates a different decryption key, so only the one who knows the keys (the hacker) is able to unlock the file.
This, in simple terms, means that unlucky users to release their files will have to pay Bitcons to the perpetrators of value 500 dollars in real money.
The techniques that activate Cryptowall, vary, as it can be through spam mails or through infected sites from which unsuspecting users download files that carry the dangerous ransomware.
In order to protect the users they have to have one installed antivirus program, the firewall keep them running and be careful with mails from unknown senders.
Source: e-pcmag.gr
