Erebus Ransomware Blackmails Korean Company for over $1 Million

2017 is the year of ransomware, undoubtedly. One of the ransomware threats that rose to prominence was Erebus Ransomware which would target Windows systems, encrypt the data within and then proceed to blackmail the victims into paying a ransom so they can unlock their encrypted files. On the 10th of June, however, it became clear that the creators of Erebus Ransomware had not given up on their project, they merely readjusted it. The new adjustments would make users of the supposedly very secure operating system Linux vulnerable to Erebus Ransomware too. If you're wondering what happened on the 10th of June, simply put, the authors of the Linux version of Erebus Ransomware became one million dollars richer.

What Does Ransomware Do To Demand A Ransom Of $1 Million?

The saga in question took place in South Korea, and the protagonist is a web hosting company that goes by the name of Nayana. On the aforementioned date, the Korean company realized that 153 of their Linux servers have been infiltrated by a ransomware threat. Those servers were responsible for approximately 3400 businesses. Understanding that the attacked company would want the issue to be solved urgently so they don't lose their own business, the cyber criminals decided to ask for a ransom of 550 Bitcoin (around $1.3 million). The cunning cyber crooks didn't randomly come up with this number, though. They had done careful research and after calculating the revenue of Nayana and how much of it goes for its employees' salaries, they came to the conclusion that the Korean company could, in fact, afford to even pay a ransom of $1.6 million. However, after some negotiations the authors of Erebus Ransomware agreed on a lower ransom fee – 397.6 Bitcoin, or approximately $990,000. Nayana came up with a statement confirming that they will indeed pay, but the payment will be split into three transactions as the cyber criminals gradually decrypt the company's servers.

Is Nayana The Only Victim?

In this case, it would seem that Nayana was specifically targeted, as the concentration of the Erebus Ransomware attack is almost strictly limited to South Korea. Some information of similar cases came from Eastern Europe too – namely Romania and Ukraine. For being in this situation, Nayana have nobody but themselves to blame, though. The South Korean company's website operates with an outdated version of Linux – Linux kernel 2.6.24.2. As if this wasn't risky and unsafe enough, Nayana's page also runs PHP and Apache versions from 2006 – 5.1.4 and 1.3.36.

Cyber Security Is Imperative In The Age Of Ransomware

It is absolutely imperative to keep your software up to date even as a regular user and for a tech company such as Nayana to overlook such a fundamental element of cyber safety is simply ludicrous. Having in mind that this doesn't even need to be done manually as there is software out there that could scan your system for outdated programs and update them automatically, there is no excuse for such recklessness. It's a terrible idea to play this risky game and every one of us who does, risks to learn this the hard way.