Ransomware criminals seem to
Recent Ransomware criminals decided they should voluntarily (although secretly) provide the encryption key FREE for everyone affected by the TeslaCrypt version of Ransomware. Amazing! And… (gasp) they apologized!
“Who was that masked rider?” you ask. No one knows. But the fuzzy cloud around them has lifted. Just a little bit.
One defining aspect is that these particular Ransomware cybercriminals used a special support chat service to facilitate payment by those locked out by their ransomware. Talk about “customer service” for criminals! They even have a step by step procedure with pictures to help the innocent user unlock his computer files. Nice.
One article noted, “Ransomware criminals are getting savvier in collecting ransoms by borrowing friendly customer service and marketing techniques from traditional industries.” $500 in bitcoin was the price for the Tewksbury, MA, police department that got locked down by CryptoLocker.
If it is difficult to think of criminals with a conscience, it might make more sense that they are seeking to make the most of their business by pursuing a new level of professionalism. The Tewksbury police, upon being infected, received an FAQ and an instruction manual to guide them through the process of paying the ransom.
So professional service related to payment makes sense. What good does it do to lock someone up if they walk away without paying? Maybe a strategy worth considering! But the cybercriminals understand the need to market their “product.” They are using graphic artists to make their warnings look eye-catching, even taking the time to translate the message into other languages for a global market.
Who was that thief who threatened to steal my personal files and then kindly helped me to pay him to unlock them??! He’s coming into focus, but the picture is still very annoying!
Having a successful strategy to avoid this kind of customer service is worth considering.
