Android Ransomware Locks Phone and Asks for Credit Card Number
January 21, 2017
Seid Yassin (557 articles)
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Android Ransomware Locks Phone and Asks for Credit Card Number

A new ransomware family is targeting Android devices, locking access to the screen, and constantly pestering the user to enter his payment card details.

According to Fortinet researcher Kai Lu, the one who discovered this new threat, the ransomware appears to be targeting only Russian-speaking users, as its ransom note is only available in Russian. A translated version of the ransom note is available below.

There are several things that stand out about this threat. The first is the humongous ransom demand it asks victims for, which is 545,000 Russian rubles (~$9,100).

This ransom demand is between 10 and 100 times over the price of some phones, and most users who can’t remove the screen locker will instead choose to buy a new phone rather than paying the crooks.

To pay the ransom, victims have to enter their credit card number directly in the ransom screen, a technique very different from how other ransomware operators like to work, which is via Bitcoin, Tor, or gift cards.

Source | bleepingcomputer