Ransomware, the Most Prominent Internet Threat

Security firm Fortinet, in its latest analysis finds that cyber-criminals are increasingly using ransomware to hold users' computers hostage and then extort money from them. The just issued Threatscape Report for March 2010 by the company reveals that of the ten most prevalent malware, ransomware programs were most in number. All the detections made within Fortinet's Top Ten malware List, other than HTML/Iframe.DN, led to ransomware or scareware contaminating the victim's system.

Furthermore, according to Fortinet, the ransomware program titled "Total Security," which the purported Cutwail botnet disseminated, had reappeared. One more such program called DigiPad too made an appearance on the list. DigiPad apparently blocks SMS that is written in Russian language. As for SMS blockers, they are designed to prevent end-users from operating their systems or particular software. Thereafter, they've to dispatch a message in text (along with an associated fee) to a specific phone number that the scammers provide.

And, while ransomware attacks associated with SMS aren't especially new, one such threat has made to the Top Ten List of Fortinet unlike ever before. Evidently, it proves that ransomware is quite prolific and rising too. Notably, these threats were primarily driven from two extremely notorious botnet accumulators, 'Pushdo' and 'Bredolab.'

Clearly enough, these twin botnets are quite powerful for launching attacks like ransomware against many customers, certainly while capitalizing on during the process.

According to, Derek Manky, a researcher at FortiGuard Global Security Research Team of Fortinet, attackers aren't losing any opportunity with respect to waging widespread attacks, according to the news published by InformationWeek on March 26, 2010. Manky added that the attackers employed, drive-by downloads, SEO poisoning, Web advertisement infiltration, phishing, and various other attacks for the distribution of their malicious programs. However, they are now also focused more-and-more on ransomware for higher profits.

Furthermore, according to the researcher, it was already damaging some years back whilst scareware programs scared computer-users by the means of malware warnings and got them to part with $80 for a worthless software product. But, that perhaps was not sufficiently lucrative. For, cyber-criminals are now adding ransomware extortion to scareware tactics, Manky explains.

Related article: Ransomware Trojan Asks for $300 for Giving User Data Back

» SPAMfighter News - 4/7/2010