98.6% of TorrentLocker Victims Refuse to Pay Bitcoin Ransom

By Nermin Hajdarbegovic

98.55% of victims targeted by TorrentLocker do not pay the virus' bitcoin ransom, according to a new report.

TorrentLocker (aka Win32 or Filecoder.DI) is a strain of bitcoin ransomware that works by encrypting users' files. Victims are requested to pay up to 4 BTC to decrypt their documents, though this figure can vary.

The report, authored by Marc-Etienne M Léveillé for security firm ESET, found that only 570 out of 39,760 infected systems were given access to decryption software upon paying the full ransom.

"In other words 1.44% of all infected users we have identified have paid the ransom to the cybercriminals," Léveillé writes, adding: "There are also 20 pages showing that bitcoins were sent but access to the decryption software wasn’t given because the full amount wasn’t paid."

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NEW REVELATIONS ON REGIN MALWARE, POSSIBLY STATE-SPONSORED

By  Giulio Prisco

In published on MIT Technology Review, legendary cryptography expert warns that antivirus companies have tracked for years a recently uncovered, very powerful and sophisticated malware, but chose not to disclose their findings. 

Why? Because there are indications that the malware is developed and operated by a government – the United States government.

Schneier is an American cryptographer, computer security and privacy specialist, and writer. He is the author of several books on general security topics, computer security and cryptography. 

One of the most influential and respected computer security experts in the world,  Schneier publishes Crypto-Gram, a free monthly e-mail newsletter about security.

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