New Type of Ransomware Threatens to Publish Private Information of Android Users
There is a new type of Android ransomware that people should be wary of. This malware is said to be a mutation of ransomware that threatens to publish private information of the victims if the ransom is not met.
LeakerLocker, a new ransomware discovered by McAfee, has been spotted in the Google Play Store where people had unknowingly installed the malware on their devices. The LeakerLocker ransomware is considered somewhat different from all the other ransomware attacks because it does not restrict users from their private files.
Instead, it will send a message on the lock screen threatening to publish private data found in the device to all the user's contacts. LeakerLocker will collect private photos, messages, browser data, emails, GPS and phone call history among others and will then demand a $50 ransom. If the ransom isn't met after 72 hours, it will publish the private data collected to all of the user's contacts via email.
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In response to that, however, security firm McAfee has revealed that the threats made by LeakerLocker aren't all the genuine. While the malware does have some kind of limited access, it only gathers information at random and then generates a preview that would look like it has collected a terrifying amount of information from the user.
Unfortunately, while McAfee has called LeakerLocker's bluff, there are still a lot of people who are more than willing to pay the $50 ransom to keep their information private — whether they are aware of LeakerLocker or not.
There are several applications on the app store that have been known to come with ransomware and other malware but it looks like people are still keen on installing them. Furthermore, the number of ransomware has continued to increase and is now at almost 10 million samples. This has made the Android operating system more vulnerable to malware attacks.
