The ransomware evolution continues with the creation of the most dangerous ransomware yet…
A new ransomware variant named Mamba, is taking the ransomware threat a step further. Traditional ransomware seeks out important files on your PC and encrypts them, making them inaccessible. Mamba, locks your entire hard drive which makes your entire PC useless.
It is believed Mamba is being distributed through phishing attacks. Once infected, your PC’s Master Boot Record will be rewritten. This means, when rebooted, your operating system will not be able to load until a password is entered. And guess who has the password…
That’s right, the cyber criminal who put the malware on your PC to begin with. The ransom notification will provide you with an email address to contact the hacker to request this information. As well as an ID number for the infected PC. The amount of ransom that is being demanded, has not been reported.
To stay safe from ransomware, PC Matic suggests PC users follow these three critical steps:
- Update, update, and then update again – Many forms of malware get into your PC through the various vulnerabilities left unpatched because we are not keeping our operating systems and applications up to date. Ensuring these things are updated, will drastically decrease your risk of malware infection.
- Use a security solution with whitelisting technology – By using an anti-virus program that implements application whitelisting technology, the risk of a malware infection is mitigated. Application whitelisting allows only known, safe programs to execute. All other programs are blocked from running.
- Cyber security education – PC users need to familiarize themselves with the current cyber security risks. Knowing what red flags to look for in a phishing scam, or false alerts, users can avoid becoming the next victim.
