talkmagic.co.uk

Hi everyone I have just recieved this email from a friend who repairs sick computers. Instead of rewriting it I have put the whole email on here for you.

Nic


Hi all,



There is a pretty serious Malicious, what some are calling Ransomware out there at present and this is a quick email to make sure you don’t end up with it on your machine.



As you know I’m not one for being sensationalist but thought that this was serious enough to warrant a group message.



In the past could of days there has arisen a Ransomware program which if downloaded and installed will encrypt certain files on your machine and demand a ransom to get them unlocked again. Once its got on your machine it will change the desktop backgroup and place a text fil on the desktop, this contains instructions on how to remove the Ransomware and who to pay, there is a fee of $120 dollars to get you files back.



For more information, please see here:

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2010/11 ... mands-120/



http://news.softpedia.com/news/Maliciou ... um=twitter



http://translate.google.co.uk/translate ... =&ie=UTF-8



I currently have two PC’s here to which this has happened and a third to pick up later today, this is unprecedented for me to have three machine with the same virus/malware in the same day.



All these machine where running Anti Virus Software. Eset, Bit Defender and Mcafee, so they where all “protected”



They where infected in one of two ways. One was infected by clicking on a link on Facebook and the other two where infected by clicking on links in emails to PDF files.



Please be careful with any links and if the link asks you to save or run a file, check what it is before clicking on run.



If this gets on your machine there is no fix at present and the only way to remove it is to re-install the operating system. Any files encrypted by this software cannot at present be un-encrypted which means they are useless.



This affects Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 and Windows 2008.



Be careful what you download and if you think you might have this or want to have a quick chat about it please give me a call.



Regards

First off you would NOT run BOTH Eset and McAffee. they would conflict with each other.

Secondly this alleged threat dates back to 2008 and perhaps even sooner.

Thirdly, a quick google gives you the passwords and a scan with MALWARE BYTES in safe mode will remove the virus/trojan.

http://www.jahewi.nl/malware/ransomware/ransomware.html

A new 1024 bit version is out there and if affected you should simply wait while zero-day experts find the algorithms and therefore the passwords.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/gpco ... ption/7760

That's pretty simple to solve, just boot up your PC using a portable Linux Distro and delete the malicious files and .exe programmes.

While it's clear to me that this is one of those regular hoaxes, ransomware does exist.

V.E. Day wrote:That's pretty simple to solve, just boot up your PC using a portable Linux Distro and delete the malicious files and .exe programmes.

Deleting the exe files etc won't decrypt the files that the malware has encrypted.

The only real way to be safe is a proper backup regime - and even experts rarely bother with that.

Sorry if I have posted a hoax I was not aware of it and was just trying to help.

Sorry.

Nic

Nic Castle wrote:Sorry if I have posted a hoax I was not aware of it and was just trying to help.

Sorry.

Nic

Don't be sorry. It's not actually a hoax, as I claimed, but it does look like one of those chain letter things. The threat is real, but has existed for some years.

I had something like that on my laptop last week. I got a load of windows appearing telling me that I had a virus, it wouldn't let me open anything of get on the internet because it said it was infected. It did offer to upgrade up anitvirus for some fee and that would fix it.

I gave it to Dave to look at and he said it was just some dodgey bit of software I'd got from somewhere trying to scare me into paying money and he quickly fixed it.

There things are scarey, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have known what to do about it.

Yup, that's a much more common threat. Fake AV software is all over the place and you simply need to visit an infected site (the site could be legit, like this one) and it'll install itself automatically and scare you into paying.

I guess this thread would be more comfortable in the Dove, where the computer spods like

Lady of Mystery wrote:There things are scarey, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have known what to do about it.

EXACTLY what the people who run these scams count on and make a living from.

Another common one, apart from the fake/rogue software and virus infections, is the tech-support phone call.

I first started getting these calls about a year or so ago and have been alarmed at how frequently they come through now (I work from home so every time it happens, I know about it).
They usually claim to be from something like "Global Support Centre" or some such guff. They then get you to follow a few instructions which show you huge lists of "errors" and "warnings" on your system. They'll do it with things like "prefetch" or "eventvwr". While the errors and warnings are quite genuine, they are also mundane and nothing to worry about.

After scaring you with such lines as "those errors are toxic, infected files" and other (borderline comical) one such as "they are viruses which eat your data".

They then send you to a website using a sneaky method (typed into a "run" box and not a web browser) and get you to put in a code - that's where they can get access to your machine.

They either do some very basic house-cleaning and sign you up to an expensive "care plan" or they install malicious software.

Whenever they call me I play the perfect victim - "I don't really understand... my neighbour looks after the computer for me but he's on holiday" (I often hear them chuckle when I say this... a sure sign they believe me) - and pull them along for as long as I can manage. I get them to repeat themselves a lot, ask loads of questions and when I get bored or have nowhere else to go without giving them access, I berate them for preying on people who they scare with lies and tell them that while I understand the need to make a living, there's no defence for the scam they are pulling. I've even had one guy get very apologetic - though they usually just hang up.

Just be aware that if anyone phones and says they've got error messages from your computer - they are not telling the truth - unless you've got some sort of legitimate support contract already and you're expecting calls like that.

I love getting those 'support' calls, I string them along for as long as possible telling them that I'm pleased they called, I have no friends and am so grateful for their help, would they like to be my friend as well so we can go places together like the zoo, the park... you get the idea !

PS, yes I agree, the Dove would be a better place for this thread so, here we go, one, two, thr....

Are we approaching the critical point where one of us is obliged to post a link to Tom Mabe's wonderful and thoroughly brutal handling of a cold caller?

ee.....

OK post away !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7OgWcwgB50

Pure, complete and utter genius.
For those who don't know, this guy keeps a tape recorder by the phone and hits record when the phone rings. If it's a cold caller he messes with them while recording the call.