Locker` malware demands ransom to restore infected files

London – A latest malware reportedly demands ransom to restore the files that the hackers have encrypted.

Security company IntelCrawler discovered the malware, dubbed Locker, which demands 150 dollars to restore the files.

According to the BBC, the cyber criminals behind Locker tried to emulate the success of CryptoLocker’s sophisticated use of encryption that racked up thousands of victims this year.

IntelCrawler said that the flaws in the malicious program suggest that it might be easier to defeat it than CryptoLocker.

The security firm said that it first saw ‘large-scale distribution’ of several different versions of Locker early this month and so far, it had targeted people across the US, Europe and Russia.

Reasearcher at IntelCrawler, Andrey Komarov explained that when Locker infects a machine, it deletes files leaving only encrypted copies behind and also drops a small file containing a unique ID number and contact details for Locker’s creators.

The file also warns that no key will be given to any victim who harasses or threatens the malware’s creators, and the key to unscramble the files would be provided only when the person pays the ransom.

Komarov said that IntelCrawler had managed to penetrate the network the cyber-thieves were using to monitor victims and this led to extraction of universal keys used to scramble target files, the report added.