Palm Springs Resident Caught in a Ransomware Attack

July 16, 2018Simeon Georgiev

Ransomware attacks have shaken many governments, businesses and users in the world. From the Middle East to India, Ukraine to USA and United Kingdom to Australia, every country is plagued due to cyberthreats. However, the hype and terror built up by these attacks help some cybercriminals in intimidating naïve users to pay without actually using a ransomware.

Was the Attack Real or Fake?

Recently, ransomware removal experts found a case in which a Palm Springs, CA resident was communicated about his computer being hacked through an email. The hackers further threatened to remove the resident’s data in case of non-compliance.

The attackers demanded a ransom of more than $600 which had to be paid within their stated time period. Any delay in the payment was threatened with the permanent loss of data. The affected user was not initially sure about the validity of the attack. However, the man was tech-savvy enough to realize the scam and shrug off the threat. Subsequently he refused to pay any money to the attackers.

Moreover, according to the Palm Springs resident, the attackers initially tried to fool him as they claimed that their ransomware is undetectable by anti-malware or anti-ransomware tools. According to ransomware removal experts, this is a common strategy used by cybercriminals to trick naïve users into thinking that their anti-ransomware tools have failed to remove ransomware, when in reality there was never a breach to begin with.

Views of an Expert

IT expert Crag Agranoff was able to provide his views on the attack. According to Mr. Craig, it was hard to take the threat seriously and take steps to remove ransomware as usually ransomware lock the files in a computer while in this case the threat came from an email.

Moreover, he expressed that a telling sign is the lack of trace in phishing campaigns. According to Mr. Craig, anyone can be behind a phishing campaign; even teenagers aged less than 15 who may live overseas. Additionally, he stressed that a phishing attack only succeeds when a user errs and unknowingly sends sensitive information to a cybercriminal.

Therefore, he advised people to be careful while using the Internet and avoid clicking on unfamiliar links and emails while also making sure to keep a backup of their data. Lastly, he expressed sympathy for old people who are caught up in ransomware and pay money due to their lack of knowledge.

Simeon Georgiev

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeon--georgiev/

I am a Cyber Security Enthusiast from Bulgaria. I like to write about malware and ransomware and global cyber attacks. You can reach me on Twitter @sgeorgiev1995 or Email: [email protected]

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