Posted on 06/13/2016 7:24:03 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Ransomware Now Comes With Live Chat Support
Victims of a new version of Jigsaw now have access to live chat operators to help them through the ransom payment process, Trend Micro says.
Getting hit by ransomware is nasty business at any time. But victims of some new variants of a ransomware sample called Jigsaw should count themselves a tad luckier than others.
The purveyors of the malware have considerately introduced a new live chat feature that gives victims a way to directly contact their extortionists and negotiate a ransom payment. Instead of requiring customers to go to dark web sites, the operators have made people available to answer questions and provide direction to victims on how to pay the ransom.
Security vendor Trend Micro, which reported on the chat feature this week, said the threats displayed by the new Jigsaw variants are similar to the threats displayed to victims of the original version of the ransomware. Jigsaw first surfaced earlier this year and was notable at the time for what Trend Micro described as its tendency to lock and delete files incrementally. “To an extent, it instills fear and pressures users into paying the ransom. It even comes with an image of Saw’s very own Billy the puppet, and the red digital clock to boot,” Trend Micro said about that version.
The new versions of Jigsaw are not different in that respect. But in addition to the usual threats about the ransom amount doubling after a specific period of time and data being deleted if any attempt is made to tamper with the program, the screen also displays a link, which appears to go to a live chat session.
(Excerpt) Read more at darkreading.com ...
User friendly.
I wonder if the call-centers are of good quality, with understandable English speakers on the other end.
These people should be blindfolded and made to stand in front of a stone wall.
I have a proposition on how to fix this. It involves drones and call centers. If you can talk to them on the phone, we can find them. I doubt they are in the US and may very well be backed by their government.
If we find their physical locations, there should be serious “accidents” to the personnel.
Mine involves doing backups and not clicking on stupid stuff.
Agreed.
I came across the ransomware once ,all I did was reboot using the power button and it was gone . I ran my anti virus and a few of those online anti virus programs and they found nothing
If you get a message that you have to call a phone number to ‘clean your system’ just immediately power down
If you do not get any error on power up then you are probably OK
If you want to PREVENT ever getting one then install FREE HOME VERSION of avast anti-virus and malwarebytes
If you don’t have AT LEAST Those two, you are too stupid to use a computer and you should log off right now.
I am with you.
Why doesn’t the FBI and CIA gather enough info from tracking payments through banks and etc, until it gets to a person, and publicly beat them to death on international live pay-per-view event?
We could retire some of the national debt.
Never used an anti virus and have never had a virus or malware. Two reasons, I suppose:I don’t go to p0rn sites and I use a Mac. Everything is backed up several different ways anyway.
Normally I don’t condone locking people in a cage and dunking them underwater til they drown but I could make an exception for ransomeware.
Bet they are in Nigeria.
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