Massive Locky ransomware campaign underway

[Conniff]

F-Secure is warning computer users about a significant increase in sightings of the Locky ransomware, typically

spammed out posing as invoices or profiles for positions at your company.

 

Here is how researcher Päivi Tynninen described the scale of the malware campaign:

 

Yesterday, Tuesday, we saw two new campaigns with a totally different magnitude: more than 120,000 spam hits per hour. In

other words, over 200 times more than on normal days, and 4 times more than on last week’s campaigns.

 

If you make the mistake of opening one of the ZIP files attached to the spammed out messages, you will find a JavaScript file

inside. Clicking on it would be a big mistake and lead to your computer being hit by the notorious Locky ransomware. Before you

know it, you may have lost access to your files and find yourself being blackmailed for their safe return.

 

Stay safe folks. Always be suspicious of unsolicited attachments.

Edited July 16, 2016 by Conniff
Duplicate source links removed.

[brassnecked]

Is this Windows specific, or can it affect Mac and Linux?

[Conniff]

This is all OS's. It is the files they lock down not the OS.

[brassnecked]

This is all OS's. It is the files they lock down not the OS.

From what I read it could affect Linux and Mac on an affected open network share, but it needed to originate from a Windows box, as it couldn't execute from a restricted 'nix user account the activation being via a windows macro or executable.

 

Could be wrong though.