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Submitted by: Bill Hickey
NCVA List Master

NRT-0037 "Ransomware" Trojans Seen as Growing Threat:

Eugene Kaspersky told attendees at the RSA Conference in San Francisco that dealing with increasing numbers of so-called "ransomware Trojans" will be a key trend for 2007. Kaspersky - head of antivirus research at Russia's Kaspersky Labs - said cyber criminals are turning away from threatening companies with massive cyber attacks in favor of encrypting a victim's data and extorting money to release it. Although not a new kind of malware, Kaspersky believes cyber criminals are beginning to refine their use of ransomware in 2007. He asserted that the prevalence of massive denial of service attacks is declining, partly because of improved filtering technologies that identify and halt attacks before they reach a corporate server, and partly due to the arrest of several people worldwide accused of conducitn these attacks. "This is a dangerous kind of criminal activity, because the attack takes place before the money is transferred," said Kaspersky, explaining that victims of DDoS attacks have the opportunity to involve the police before paying a ransom. An audience member countered that someone who falls victim to a ransomware Trojan could also get the police involved. Kaspersky responded that the police might not be very interested, as the ransom might only be $20 or $30. Kaspersky also stated concern that police are struggling to keep up with cyber criminals. "In 2004 there were around 100 arrests of suspected cybercriminals. In 2005 there were around 400, but last year there were just 100. It seems the stupid guys are being jailed, but the clever ones are still operating."

(ZDNET UK 07FEB07)

Last Modified: Sunday, 11-Feb-2007 19:29:09 EST