Cryptographers concerned about ransomware
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 04/27/2015 09:12 AM
[
Comments
]
Leading cryptographers are concerned about the growing proliferation of ransomware that are using the encryption algorithms they designed.
One of the top 10 PC threats during the second half of 2014 was the family of Browlock, which locked the victim out of their desktop and demanded a ransom to pay fines for supposedly illegal files.
Browlock only prevents users from accessing their desktop; Cryptolocker, CryptoWall and CTB-Locker, which encrypt users' files with strong cryptographic algorithms, make it impossible to recover them in the absence of unaffected backups or without paying for the decryption keys.
Adi Shamir, co-inventor of the widely used RSA cryptosystem, said: "I think it's a very serious problem. It's going to stay with us and we need to think about new techniques to stop it."
Today ransomware can affect your PC or your mobile phone, but it's only a matter of time until your smart TV and other Internet of Things devices will also be held to ransom, he said.
Government officials are increasingly pushing for ways to bypass encryption so that police (some of whom have fallen victim to ransomware) and intelligence agencies can perform lawful intercepts.
Source: ComputerWorld
One of the top 10 PC threats during the second half of 2014 was the family of Browlock, which locked the victim out of their desktop and demanded a ransom to pay fines for supposedly illegal files.Browlock only prevents users from accessing their desktop; Cryptolocker, CryptoWall and CTB-Locker, which encrypt users' files with strong cryptographic algorithms, make it impossible to recover them in the absence of unaffected backups or without paying for the decryption keys.
Adi Shamir, co-inventor of the widely used RSA cryptosystem, said: "I think it's a very serious problem. It's going to stay with us and we need to think about new techniques to stop it."
Today ransomware can affect your PC or your mobile phone, but it's only a matter of time until your smart TV and other Internet of Things devices will also be held to ransom, he said.
Government officials are increasingly pushing for ways to bypass encryption so that police (some of whom have fallen victim to ransomware) and intelligence agencies can perform lawful intercepts.
Source: ComputerWorld
Comments
