Researchers Say Ryuk Ransomware Made $3.7m In 5 Months

Ryuk Ransomware

If you have never heard of Ransomware, then you are (without meaning any disrespect) badly in need of some education. The malware, which shot to popularity around 2 years ago, is perhaps one of the most malicious out there. It is usually placed on a system via an e-mail with a relatively innocuous attachment. This may say “bill” or “invoice” and as such is a fairly standard thing for businesses not only to interact with but to regularly receive and open.

Once open, however, the malware gets to work. It essentially locks out and encrypts all of the documents on the system. The next time you turn the PC on you are greeted with a wallpaper informing you of this and also giving you information as to how to recover your files. To get your files back, however, you will have to pay a fee (usually in Bitcoin). You are also given a specific deadline to ‘encourage’ you to act quickly. Even then, you’re at the will of the perpetrator whether you’ll actually ever receive the unlock code or not. Let alone if it will work!

It’s called ransomware for a reason. Your files are literally held ransom!

Making Money

Now personally, I’ve always thought people mad to actually pay these fees. You are, essentially, only funding this to expand, grow and ultimately end up on more peoples systems. In a report via research group Cloudstrike, however, they believe that the most recent example of ransomware (known as Ryuk) has earned more than $3.7m in ‘ransoms’ from just a 5 month period.

Origins

The attack is believed to have North Korean origins with the ‘group’ reportedly known as ‘Grim Spider’. While they do look to specifically target big companies, individual users should be aware of the risk and understand that they are not immune to this.

In other words, as always, treat any unknown or suspicious e-mail (particularly one with an attachment) with the highest levels of cynicism.

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!