CoinVault Ransomware an Unrelenting Maleware Blackmail Scheme Outed and Being Cured by Kaspersky Decryptor Tool

""Users that have found themselves as victims of the CoinVault ransomware now have the ability to have their files decrypted using a free tool that was uploaded by Kaspersky Lab, in cooperation with the Dutch police.

The tool, named the Ransomware Decryptor, utilizes decryption keys which were recovered by the Dutch police during their investigation of the CoinVault ransomware.

Ransomware such as CoinVault attacks by encrypting data stored within disks or by blocking users from accessing their computer systems. The ransomware is often installed through exploiting vulnerabilities in the computers of the victims through the propagation of phishing email messages and links leading to malicious web pages.

However, unlike other forms of ransomware, CoinVault allows victims to see the files that the ransomware has encrypted. One of these files can be decrypted for free, but for all the others, the victim will have to pay the hackers certain amounts to be able to access the PC and the user's files once again.

CoinVault has been infecting Windows PCs since November of last year.

The Dutch police's National High Tech Crime Unit was recently able to acquire a database from a command and control server of CoinVault, which included decryption keys. The information acquired from the database led to Kaspersky's development of the decryption tool that is now available to the public to use for free.

The Ransomware Decryptor is not yet 100 percent effective, as all the possible decryption keys were understandably not stored for safekeeping on that single server that the Dutch police recovered. However, officials hope that as the ongoing investigation into CoinVault progresses, more decryption keys will be discovered that would make improvements on the success rate of the decryption tool, said Jornt van der Wiel, a researcher for Kaspersky that was part of the team that created the Ransomware Decryptor.""

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/46111/20150414/kaspersky-outs-decryptor-for-coinvault-ransomware.htm

Security Quadcopter UAV Drones Maleware Hacked and Controlled Through Backdoor of Softwares

The use of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) called Drones is rapidly transforming the way we go to war. Drones were once used for land surveillance, Delivering Pizza's, then equipped with bombs that changed the way nations conduct war and last year, these hovering drones were also used to hack Smartphones.

Recently, a security researcher has found a backdoor in the Parrot AR Drones manufactured by a French-based company, that could allow a malicious hacker to remotely hijacked the radio controlled flying quadcopter helicopter.

The Parrot AR Drone, revealed at the International CES 2010 in Las Vegas, is a quadricopter helicopter which you can control with your smartphone or tablet. It features two built-in cameras, is easy to fly, and can be controlled without too much danger of it flipping over or smashing into things.

FIRST EVER MALWARE FOR DRONES

Security researcher, Rahul Sasi claimed to have developed the first ever backdoor malware for AR drone ARM Linux system, dubbed Maldrone [MALware DRONE].

Maldrone can be used to remotely hijack drones, as shown in a video demonstration below published by the hacker.

"In this we would show infecting a drone with Maldrone and expecting a reverse tcp connection from drone. Once connection is established we can interact with the software as well as drivers/sensors of drone directly. There is an existing AR drone piloting program. Our backdoors kills the autopilot and takes control. The Backdoor is persistent across resets," video explained.

According to the researcher, Maldrone can interact with the drone’s device drivers and sensors silently and allow the hacker to control the drone remotely. As a result, Maldrone could be used to conduct remote surveillance.

Rahul said the Maldrone could also be used to attack other drone makers as well. However, the backdoor could be exploited within a wireless range.

DRONE CRASHES ON WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS

Drones has highlighted the growing security threat posed by small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Just recently, a 2-foot quadcopter drone crashed onto the White House grounds in the early hours of Monday morning, when the president and first lady Michelle Obama were in India.

A government employee told the Secret Service that he lost control of the quadcopter drone before it crashed on the grounds of the White House. However, no one at the White House were in danger.

Source Material

http://thehackernews.com/2015/01/MalDrone-backdoor-drone-malware.html