Ransomware targets Android smartphones and tablets

Posing as a media player offering access to premium porn content, the Koler-A ransomware trojan is delivered automatically to peeps browsing malicious pornographic sites. The software nasty infects Android smartphones and tablets.

Once installed, an Android application package file (APK) calls home to one of the 200+ domains known to be involved in the scam and transmits the compromised device’s IMEI in the process. The app is designed to coax marks into paying a ransom of $300 to restore their device to normal.

Victims are accused of attempting to view banned pornography.

Catalin Cosoi, chief security strategies at Romanian security software firm Bitdefender, said: "Koler-A can be easily removed by either pressing the home screen and navigating to the app, then dragging it on the top of the screen where the uninstall control is located, or by booting the device in safe mode and then uninstalling the app. Although the message claims the stored data is encrypted, the application does not have the permissions it needs to touch files; it’s a lie to push users into paying the ransom.”

“The Android version of Icepol might be a test run for cyber-criminals to see how well this type of scam can be monetised on mobile platforms. If this is the case, we should expect much more sophisticated strains of ransomware, possibly capable of encrypting files, to emerge shortly.”

It's unclear how many people have been hit by the ransomware.