News

WannaCry lookalike ransomware to hit Android users

Friday 9 June 2017 13:32 CET | News

Android ransomware that uses similar graphics to the WannaCry ransom note has been created by some Chinese cybercriminals.

The ransomware was spotted by Qihoo 360 researchers, and fraudsters are spreading this ransomware via Chinese gaming forums in an attempt to scare and trick users into quickly paying the ransom. The malicious app containing the ransomware is disguised as a plugin for the King of Glory, a very popular mobile game in China, according to BleepingComputer.

This WannaCry lookalike for Android devices is asking users to pay the ransom fee of 40 RMB (USD 6) via Chinese payment providers QQ, Alipay, or WeChat.

The ransomware encrypts files and uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption to lock them; also, it appends a suffix to all encrypted files consisting of a mixture of Chinese and Latin characters. Because resources are limited on Android devices, the ransomware will only encrypt files under 10KB in size. To avoid ruining and crashing the Android OS, the ransomware does not encrypt files whose names start with a dot, or files located in folders that include ”android, com, DCIM, download, or miad in their file path, the online publication continues.


Free Headlines in your E-mail

Every day we send out a free e-mail with the most important headlines of the last 24 hours.

Subscribe now

Keywords: Android ransomware, Android, WannaCry, Qihoo 360, fraud prevention, online security, China, malware
Categories: Fraud & Financial Crime
Companies:
Countries: World
This article is part of category

Fraud & Financial Crime






Industry Events