Overview: Cryptolocker and Ransomware

Within the past 2 years, in addition to the conventional malware, the so-called Ransomware has spread massively. While in 2014 less than 10 known families/variants roamed in this area, we discovered 15 of those blackmailing apps in 2015. Within the first quarter of 2016 this number has already been exceeded (as can be seen in the table below). Last year, we saw a special form of Ransomware appearing, the so-called Cryptolocker. This special form is feared by users and security responsible people within an organization because it blocks not only the smartphone or tablet – as it is the case with Ransomware – but also all data of the user becomes encrypted on an infected device.

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