5 Arrested for Spreading Ransomware in US, Europe

Investigators have arrested v suspected hackers for distributing the CTB Locker and Cerber ransomware strains across Europe and the U.s.a..

SecurityWatch Romanaian law searched six homes and seized the calculator hardware from the grouping, Europol announced on Wednesday. Three of the declared hackers were charged with spreading CTB Locker, ane of the largest ransomware families, co-ordinate to security firm McAfee, which aided law enforcement in the investigation.

Like other ransomware, CTB Locker attacks computers by encrypting the files on board, and so demanding a ransom from the owner to complimentary them. It was first spotted in 2022 and targets Windows PCs.

The iii suspects arrested in connectedness to CTB Locker were found spreading the ransomware through spam letters, which pretended to come from well-known companies in Italy, the Netherlands, and the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. "More than 170 victims from several European countries have been identified to date," Europol said.

The two other suspects in the group are being charged with infecting US-based computers with Cerber, a newer form of ransomware that first emerged in 2022. It as well tin can also spread through spam messages and attacks Windows systems.

Unfortunately, the suspects arrested only distributed the 2 ransomware strains; thirty percent of their profits were sent to the still-unknown developers of CTB Locker and Cerber.

McAfee said CTB Locker was originally sold on black marketplace forums for $3,000, before it became an affiliate programme that enlisted other hackers to distribute the ransomware in substitution for a slice of the profits. Cerber has been sold in the same mode, and infected 150,000 computers worldwide last year, according to security firm Check Betoken.

Both ransomware infections can be difficult to decrypt. To avoid getting attacked, it'southward best to refrain from opening attachments from people you don't know or clicking links within spam electronic mail letters. Backing up your data regularly and keeping your software up to date is as well recommended. Users should also consider investing in antivirus solutions that can protect from ransomware attacks.