A new variant of the Lockdroid Android ransomware has chosen a unique way of unlocking devices by asking users to speak a code provided after paying the ransom.
This ransomware, one of the oldest families on the Android market, has seen a lot of changes lately, with crooks experimenting with various methods through which victims can get in contact with the ransomers.
Past versions had used the classic route of displaying an email address in the ransom note, but at the beginning of the month, Lockdroid was started showing a 2D barcode on the device’s screen, that victims needed to scan to get receive an URL where they could pay the ransom.
Based on a new report from Symantec, it appears that crooks were only experimenting with the 2D barcode system, as they have now dropped it in favor of a new contact method.
This time around, Lockdroid operators are listing a QQ instant messaging username at the bottom of their ransom screen.
Users are told to message this ID and get in contact with the ransomer. What follows is a negotiation between the two, and after making a payment, the victim receives a four-string unlock code.
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/android-ransomware-asks-victims-to-speak-unlock-code/
Submitted by: Arnfried Walbrecht
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