This is a rare case when the public will take the side of cybercriminals.
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an unusual malware campaign targeting people searching for child pornography online. Instead of extorting money from random victims, as is usually the case, this time the attackers deliberately targeted pedophiles.
The campaign uses a fake website that mimics UsenetClub — a paid service for accessing images and videos that are not regulated by censorship, and where even illegal content can be found.
On the fake site, hackers offer their "victims" a free subscription to use the service after installing the CryptVPN program. However, instead of a VPN client, victims are being installed with malware called "PedoRansom".
After launching, the program changes the wallpaper on the computer screen, setting a ransom demand. A text file with threats is also saved to the desktop.
"You were looking for child exploitation and / or child pornography. You were so stupid that you were hacked, - reads the message of the ransomware. — We've collected all your information, and now you have to pay us a ransom, otherwise you're finished."
The requirement is to transfer $ 500 to a bitcoin wallet within 10 days. Otherwise, the collected information about the victim will be published in the public domain. According to the researchers, so far the specified bitcoin wallet has received about $ 86.
While this particular campaign is much more inventive than similar sextortion-based operations, and is sure to deter a lot of potential criminals looking for prohibited child exploitation content, experts believe that it is unlikely that many criminals will fall for this bait. And even if they do get caught, it's unlikely that they'll pay hackers a ransom.
Although extortion and computer hacking are illegal methods, in this situation it is difficult not to be on the side of hackers who decided to punish pedophiles in this way. However, lynching in the Internet space also cannot be fully justified, as it creates dangerous precedents for further illegal actions under the guise of good intentions.
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an unusual malware campaign targeting people searching for child pornography online. Instead of extorting money from random victims, as is usually the case, this time the attackers deliberately targeted pedophiles.
The campaign uses a fake website that mimics UsenetClub — a paid service for accessing images and videos that are not regulated by censorship, and where even illegal content can be found.
On the fake site, hackers offer their "victims" a free subscription to use the service after installing the CryptVPN program. However, instead of a VPN client, victims are being installed with malware called "PedoRansom".
After launching, the program changes the wallpaper on the computer screen, setting a ransom demand. A text file with threats is also saved to the desktop.
"You were looking for child exploitation and / or child pornography. You were so stupid that you were hacked, - reads the message of the ransomware. — We've collected all your information, and now you have to pay us a ransom, otherwise you're finished."
The requirement is to transfer $ 500 to a bitcoin wallet within 10 days. Otherwise, the collected information about the victim will be published in the public domain. According to the researchers, so far the specified bitcoin wallet has received about $ 86.
While this particular campaign is much more inventive than similar sextortion-based operations, and is sure to deter a lot of potential criminals looking for prohibited child exploitation content, experts believe that it is unlikely that many criminals will fall for this bait. And even if they do get caught, it's unlikely that they'll pay hackers a ransom.
Although extortion and computer hacking are illegal methods, in this situation it is difficult not to be on the side of hackers who decided to punish pedophiles in this way. However, lynching in the Internet space also cannot be fully justified, as it creates dangerous precedents for further illegal actions under the guise of good intentions.
