This helps them keep a shroud of invisibility way and it eliminates the need for phishing emails. Where the bad guys get the upper hand to these changes are: Using hard-coding to make it simpler to spread from P2P sites. It also poses as an updater for Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office on sites frequently used by P2P file sharers. This new innovation makes the bug portable and much easier to spread, thus increasing ransoms exponentially. CyroptoLocker 2.0 ransoms start at $500 while the original CryptoLocker had a running median of $300Īdditionally CryptoLocker can now worm its way through USBs.CryptoLocker 2.0 only accepts payments from Bitcoin while the original CryptoLocker accepted payments from Bitcoin, CashU, Ukash, Paysafecard, MoneyPak or pre-paid cash vouchers.Cyrptolocker 2.0 encrypts or locks more file types including music, images and video files, which Cryptolocker would skip.CryptoLocker 2.0 was written using C#, while the original CryptoLocker ransomware was written using C++, so the two were most likely written by different programming teams.How It Worksĭifferences between CryptoLocker and CryptoLocker 2.0 The latest CryptoLocker is just as malicious as its predecessor if not worse. There isn't a person on earth that would want a virus on their computer, but there are particularly nasty ones that many dread. If payments are not received in three days victims are usually given a second opportunity to pay a much higher ransom to get their files back. They speculate that the new strand is simply using CryptoLocker as a base.Ĭryptolocker 2.0 demands that payments be paid in the form of Bitcoins. Some experts believe that CyrptoLocker 2.0 is not an extension of the CryptoLocker ransomware, but, may, be a copycat.

Once files are locked, Cryptolocker 2.0 then threatens to delete the private key needed to unlock the files if payment is not received within three days. CryptoLocker 2.0 uses 1024 bit RSA key pair uploaded to a command-and-control server, which it uses it to encrypt or lock files with certain extensions and delete the originals.

CryptoLocker 2.0 is the second version of CryptoLocker, a particularly nasty ransomware virus that had infected over 200,000 computer systems.

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