14 DAY TRIAL // Security researchers from Sophos have come across a new ransomware campaign that’s aimed at users from Germany.
Similar to most ransomware attacks, the malware locks up the browser and informs victims that their devices have been blocked by the police due to the fact that they’ve downloaded offensive images involving minors.
However, other such campaigns don’t actually display the illegal pictures. This one, however, does.
According to Sophos, the website that distributes the ransomware is also designed to target internauts from the UK. If it’s visited from a United Kingdom IP address, the warning message purports to come from the Metropolitan Police.
Fortunately, so far, the security firm hasn’t seen any reports from UK users.
Sophos has informed authorities regarding this ransomware campaign, including the Internet Watch Foundation.
In the meantime, make sure that your antivirus is up and running to increase your chances of evading such threats. If your computer does become infected, don’t pay the ransom money.
Instead, remove it using a tool such as the one provided by Bitdefender.