New Trojan\Virus Demands Ransom From Computer or Cell Phone

Isn't this nice:

A new kind of malware circulating on the Internet freezes a computer and then asks for a ransom paid through the Western Union Holdings money transfer service. A sample of the Trojan horse virus was sent to Sophos, a security vendor, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant. The malware, which Sophos named Troj/Ransom-A, is one of only a few viruses so far that have asked for a ransom in exchange for releasing control of a computer, Cluley said. It’s unclear how the Trojan is being spread, although Sophos is investigating, Cluley said. Viruses can be spread in several ways, including through spam or a so-called drive-by download that exploits a browser vulnerability when a user visits a malicious Web site. Source: PCWorld

A newly detected mobile phone virus (via Buetooh) is charging mobile phone users $5 to send a premium rate SMS message, security experts warned today at Infosec Europe 2006. F-Secure explained that a proof-of-concept attack had been reengineered to make money illegally from mobile phone users. Source: vnunet