ESET researchers have detected a new Andoid ransomware campaign that spreads via links posted on online forums including the popular social media platform Reddit, as well as via SMS messages.
The attackers are distributing various links on different forums, with the most notable example being one that promotes a sex simulation game for Android on porn-related Reddit posts. If a victim installs the malicious app, it will load the promised game while secretly encrypting files on the infected device in the background. The ransomware, dubbed Android/Filecoder.C, then presents users with a ransom note demanding a Bitcoin payment. Android/Filecoder.C will also send SMS messages containing links to itself to all numbers in the victim’s contact list.
Read more: Android Ransomware Spreads Via ‘Sex Simulation Game’ Links on Reddit, SMS