As the name suggests, ransomware is malicious software that is built to steal and “kidnap” users’ data. The data is them held to ransom, with users having to pay to receive the data back. Now, a new sophisticated ransomware has just been discovered that is rather hard to detect and becoming a new threat.
Earlier this month, the Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team wrote a report to the about the latest evolution of mobile Ransomware. In the report, the research team “found a piece of a particularly sophisticated Android ransomware with novel techniques and behavior, exemplifying the rapid evolution of mobile threats that we have also observed on other platforms. The mobile ransomware, detected by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as AndroidOS/MalLocker.B, is the latest variant of a ransomware family that’s been in the wild for a while but has been evolving non-stop.”
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This ransomware family has been known for a while and has been found on various websites and has been circulating online through forums, various pop up ads, cracked games, and other forms of media. According to the PhoneArena report, the report also added that “the new variant caught our attention because it’s an advanced malware with unmistakable malicious characteristic and behavior and yet manages to evade many available protections, registering a low detection rate against security solutions.”
Furthermore, the hackers apparently are “evolving” this malware by using various accessibility features and the virus is continuously getting better at its intended purpose. Viruses and malware aren’t just for laptops and computers, with the number of smartphone users growing, the amount of harmful software like ransomware has been growing. So make sure to be safe never click on any flashy links, ads, or pop ups.
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