A new ransomware strain has been discovered and named Babuk Locker, just days into the New Year. According to new research by Chuong Dong of Georgia Tech, the ransomware has successfully compromised five companies since its discovery. Dong claims that he first saw the ransomware mentioned in a tweet, and after further investigation, he found more information about Babuk on RaidForums. RaidForums is an online platform for sharing databases of breaches and leaks.
Bleeping Computer also released a report on Babuk, claiming the compromised companies range from medical testing products manufacturer to an air conditioning and heating company. At least one affected company agreed to pay $85,000 in ransom. Babuk has some novel tricks when it comes to encryption and the abuse of legitimate Windows features, according to Dong, but is similar to many popular malware variants in most other aspects.
Read More: Babuk Locker Targets Large Corporations in the New Year
