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New trojan masquerades as Microsoft enforcement-ware

2011-09-07 10:14 by
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Security researchers have discovered a new ransomware Trojan which pretends to be a Microsoft utility. It claims that a user's Windows machine is running an unlicensed copy of Windows and threatens to cripple the victim's computer unless he pays €100 to obtain an unlock code, which can be purchased via credit card via a scam website.

The malware targets mainly German-speaking users and is being distributed via spam and P2P downloads. Panda Software, a net security firm which detected the threat, warned that the Trojan is difficult to remove manually.

"These types of Trojans are very dangerous because once they infect the computer it is extremely difficult to remove them manually, forcing users to pay the ransom or reformat their devices," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. "In addition, because Ransom.AN appears to come from Microsoft and threatens actions from authorities, many users believe what the Trojan says and make the payment out of fear."

Additional information about Ransom-AN, including an unlock code, useful in cases when users have become infected, can be found in a blog post by Panda here.

Read more -here-

 

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