[CS-FSLUG] Miscreants encrypt files, hold them for ransom...MickySoft systems!

[Tim Young]

Yes, It is really dumb.  Any crime that goes outside the borders of a state becomes a
Federal matter.  That is why the FBI has such a good Internet crime lab.  And holding
something hostage means you have to have a real way of getting the $ from them...
(grin) All it takes it one person getting hit who reports it to the proper authority
and the poor hacker is toast.  Well, at least if it originates within the US borders.
:)  It is much harder to handle International law, but it happens.

    - Tim

Don Parris wrote:

> > > "Researchers at Symantec have seen the malicious program used in the ransom
> > > attack. The "Trojan.Pgpcoder" searches a victim's hard disk drive for 15
> > > common file types, including images and Microsoft Office file types. It then
> > > encrypts the files, removes the originals and drops a note asking $200 for
> > > the encryption key, Friedrichs said."
> > >
> > > http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5718678.html?tag=nl.e589
>

> I was just thinking that this seems like a pretty stupid attack.  Or
> at least I don't think I could be slick enough to pull it off.  Just
> seems like you're all but begging to get caught.