Summary: How much would you pay to free your Android smartphone or tablet from CryptoLocker? How about to get your phone to stop displaying a message that you’ve been downloading kiddie porn?
By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for Linux and Open Source
CrytoLocker Ransomware, the malware that locked up PCs until you paid off $300 and the so-called Menace of the Year, may have jumped from Windows to Android.
ThreatPost reports that the Reveton cyber-crime gang is advertising an Android version of CryptoLocker. This program seems to have no way to actively infect an Android smartphone or tablet. To get it you have to actually download the APK file.
To trick you into doing this, the malware masquerades as a porn application. As you’d expect, this malware is designed to hide out on porn sites. If I’d said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times,never download Android apps from third-party sites of any sort and don’t, no matter what operating system you’re running, download programs from porn sites.
If you’re fool enough to do this anyway and get infected, any time you try to use your device, you’ll be shown a warning display that accuses you of viewing child pornography or equally ugly and illegal porn. It then goes on to say that you’ll face a jail term of five to 11 years, unless, of course, you make a payment of $300 viaMoneyPak. This is a legitimate pre-paid debt card service.
At this time, it’s unclear if this malware, labeled Koler.A really is a port of CryptoLocker or simply a malware program using the infamous ransomware name in vain. From the limited experience security companies have had with this program it seems most likely it is not actually encrypting your files.
That said, getting rid of Koler.A is currently a major annoyance. Android anti-virus programs don’t have a fix for it yet. If you can move the program’s icon to the trash, however, that “seems” to get rid of the program. The trick is you only have five seconds to delete it before the ransomware screen takes over your display.
