Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts the victim's hard drive cryptographically until he pays a ransom. It's a very popular method among cybercriminals. This tactic has been so successful that some ransomware makers have begun to sabotage the ransomware of others in their attempts to prevent competition.
3.500 were leaked online earlier this week wrenches for a species ransomware known as "Chimera", which supposedly allows Chimera victims to securely decrypt their files without having to pay a ransom in bitcoins. The decryption keys were apparently released by the makers of the rival ransomware package called "Petya & Mischa", which I claimedthat they violated the Chimera development system, seized the keys and pieces of the code.
Chimera is a particularly nasty type of ransomware that not only locks the victim's hard drive, but threatens to leak their confidential files online if the ransom is not paid. It is still unclear whether the leaked keys will actually work and decrypt the locked machines affected by the malware, however, security firm Malwarebytes, which first noticed the leak, says it will take some time to check them.
In any case, the developers of Petya & Mischa seem to have shared these keys to "promote" their own ransomware, which is based on the stolen Chimera code now is offered as a service in Tor, to those cyber criminals wanting to earn some bitcoins out of it.
Looks like someone unheralded has started war μεταξύ των εγκληματιών. Παλαιότερα, προγραμματιστές ransοmware δήλωσαν ότι είναι εξοργισμένοι από ένα πρόσφατο false ransοmware, το οποίο εμφανίζει τρομακτικά μηνύματα, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα δεν ξεκλειδώνει τον σκληρό δίσκο του θύματος όταν αυτός πληρώσει λύτρα. Το σκεπτικό των εγκληματιών είναι ότι τα ψεύτικα ransomware θα μπορούσαν να κάνουν τους people to believe that they can't get their files back if real ransomware hits them, jeopardizing future earnings.
