Computer security researchers have discovered a new ransomware attack whose sole purpose is to damage your computer's hard drive
Computer security researchers have discovered a new type of ransomware. The malware has been named RedBoot and according to experts it is one of the most powerful ransomware viruses ever seen. This hacker attack not only locks our files on the PC but also manages to create permanent damage to the hard drive.
RedBoot is designed with the sole purpose of destroying hard drives and important documents. This suggests that it is a virus designed for industrial or political espionage. In fact, the malware not only does not ask for a Bitcoin ransom in order to gain access to the files again, like all other ransomware does, but it also does not use a remote server to steal data from victims' computers. The goal is only to create permanent damage to our PC's hard drive. The "good news" is that the developer of the malware has contacted some security researchers stating that the virus is not yet complete.
The bad news is that it will be released, if not stopped in time, in October 2017. And it will be even more dangerous than the version now known and analyzed.
How RedBoot works
RedBoot spreads like most of the currently known ransomware, exploiting attachments, downloadable documents and malicious links. Once installed on the computer, the virus blocks certain programs, such as the Task Manager. At that point, the malware restarts the PC and when it is turned on, we will see a red page with white writing. Through this message we will be warned that our computer has fallen into RedBoot's trap and we will have to follow the on-screen instructions to remove the virus. Too bad, however, that there is no action that can prevent the damage to the files on our hard drive.
How to defend yourself
It is not yet clear if RedBoot will come out with an updated version in October 2017, the advice for individuals and SMEs is still to perform constant backups to be saved in the cloud. This way we won't have to worry about tampering with our hard drive.