Online scammers’ latest ploy is a
scheme that lures Internet users to install ransomware on their computers,
which then makes them think they violated federal law by viewing child porn and
must pay a fine.
The Internet Crime Complaint
Center (IC3) is warning people about a new Citadel malware platform
used to deliver ransomware, named Reveton.
IC3 says victims are lured to a drive-by download website that
installs the ransomware on their computers. Shortly thereafter, the computer
seizes up and a warning is displayed that declares the user's IP address was identified
by the Justice Department’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section
as having visited sites offering child porn and other illegal content. “To
unlock their computer the user is instructed to pay a $100 fine to the U.S.
Department of Justice, using prepaid money card services. The geographic
location of the user's IP address determines what payment services are offered.
In addition to the ransomware, the Citadel malware continues to operate on the
compromised computer and can be used to commit online banking and credit card
fraud,” IC3 says in its warning. Reveton is a variant of the nasty Trojan known as Citadel malware that is based on Zeus, one of
the oldest and most used online banking Trojans. The Citadel crimeware toolkit
is now open sourced and is evolving and spreading rapidly,
resulting in insidious new versions such as Reveton. Bottom line: Be careful
online. Don’t click on links in emails or on websites that are unfamiliar to
you or from people or sources you don’t know.
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