'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware

The 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that pretends to attack the user's computer as a punishment for copyright infringement. The threat has no relationship with any nation's law enforcement and is similar to illicit and threatening software like Hidden Tear or a Ransomware-as-a-Service. Users with reliable anti-malware products should remove the 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware by default, although a secured backup may prove essential for recovering any locked media.

A Throwback to Old Tactics with Modern Criminal Techniques

A sample of what malware experts point to as a possible variant of the Xorist Ransomware family is using an aging social engineering strategy against its victims. The 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan not too dissimilar from most of those already in circulation. What makes it unrepeated is its use of a bygone age of tactics in its ransom note.

The 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware is a Windows Trojan. Malware researchers see most samples with unremarkable names of random characters. The forward-facing features of its payload involve the typical attacks of locking media (including documents, pictures, audio, movies, or archives) with an encryption conversion process and a more-superficial addition of a 'LOCKED' extension to the names. After that, the 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware drops a text ransom note and creates a pop-up alert for the victim.

The difference between the two messages is a minor one: the pop-up window contains an additional line that references possible copyright infringement or even possession of child erotica. This implication of lawbreaking and data encryption as a punishment for it might trick some users into paying the ransom more readily, although it's a by-now out-of-style tactic. Readers interested in this social engineering attack also may compare the Trojan to much-older ones like the 'Policajného Zboru' Ransomware or the 'BK LPD' Ransomware.

Understanding the Law to Counter the Programs Acting Outside of It

No matter what nation they're in, any PC user should grasp that encryption-locked files and semi-anonymous ransoms aren't the proper protocol for law enforcement actions. However, the 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware tactic offers a possible glimpse into its distribution exploits, which might involve fake child pornography torrents or other, just-as-illicit downloads. Law-abiding download habits can prevent many users from coming into contact with the 'casual' side of the file-locking Trojan industry, which preys on small businesses and home users randomly.

Malware experts have yet to examine the strength of the 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware encryption. There is some hope of free decryption in a minority of file-locking Trojan infections. For those who have files not worth gambling on, a secure backup on an additional device is a far more comfortable and universal solution than any decryptor. Concerning its ransom operations, the 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware resembles most, modern Trojans of its type, including the preference for anonymity with a TOR site.

Anti-malware programs from trustworthy companies will identify and remove the 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware as threatening. No significant obfuscation, certificates, or other signs of a well-funded campaign are available in its samples.

The 'LOCKED ON POSSESSION OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL' Ransomware preys on guilty consciences for money, but it's a sleight of hand that most targets should see-through. Nevertheless, inviting illicit content onto your computer is an action with consequences, which sometimes includes a Trojan or two.