The Evolution of Ran$omware

by Jason Loggins

I think it's interesting how far we've come as a society.  As our technology advances, so do the cyberthreats.  In this article, I will discuss dialers, joke viruses, fake anti-virus programs, and ransomware.  The aforementioned issues will be discussed in historical slices of time.  The following is based on knowledge of the threats, previous experience working with the issues, and my own observations and opinions.

Dialers (1990s-2000?)

Way back in the 1990s, we had the kick-ass dial-up system!  With this came dialers, nasty "viruses" that used your dial-up connection to connect to pay-per-view porn sites.  Now dialers only make up half of the ransomware equation.  (I know it seems like I'm out in left field, but keep reading - it gets crazier!)  By connecting to porn sites, these dialers theoretically held you "hostage" until removed.  Let's look at it by its machinations.  It's quite ingenious - by connecting to the Internet, it starts doing the "dirty deed" so to speak.  To get rid of it, you needed to download an anti-virus program.  It was a complete "Catch 22."  When dial-up faded due to DSL, dialers were "dialed out" of existence.

Joke Viruses (2000-?)

The first joke virus I remember was the New Year's virus.  All that happened was you lost control of your computer and got the message "Happy New Year."  If you're wondering why this is relevant, it's because joke viruses, like dialers, held your computer "hostage."  I've dealt with ones that overloaded the desktop with icons, and ones that started multiple programs at once, causing a computer crash.  I haven 't seen any joke viruses in a while; maybe no one's laughing anymore.

Fake Anti-Virus Programs (~2008-Present)

The first instance of an unusual AV program was Anti-Virus 2008 (wow, so original).  Like later fake AV programs, AV 2008 claimed: "YOUR SYSTEM IS INFECTED!"  (Insert stereotypical horrific scream.)  It would "scan" your system and find a copious amount of "infections."  Then came the scam: "Well, on the wimpy free version, we can't help, but, on the macho pay-to-use version, you'll be 'protected'."  Skip forward to 2010.  Now we have AV 2010 (ugh).  But wait, there's more!  It's "new and improved" as in "now we find even more 'viruses'."

Then along came Ultimate Anti-Virus (the proverbial knight in tin can armor).  It changed the game by adding a task bar icon and a little bubble reminding you to "CLICK HERE TO PROTECT YOUR SYSTEM."  I've even dealt with website redirection where I'm sent to a blank page so they can "scan" my computer (insert normal "don't try this" disclaimer).  I used to infect my computer to learn how these programs "ticked."  I don't recommend this unless you have backup disks.  Fake AV programs can also disable or corrupt system restore.  Next time I'm told to "Click here to protect your system!"  I'll risk its safety.

Ransomware (2013-Present)

I've dealt with the FBI Ransomware scam.  It was pretty ingenious, using your webcam against you with false accusations.  Using untraceable gift cards was a nice touch.  When working with this ransomware, I noticed a five second delay between logging on and the DDoS attack starting.  I pressed Ctrl+Alt+Del, managed to open "Task Manager", and found an unusual process set to "High Priority" on infinite loop.  Stopping it, I managed to scan the system and remove the ransomware.  In the present day, we have kits for ransomware, which is insane.  I mean, come on, at least do the work if you're going to scam people.  (I have not worked with the kits.)

Conclusion

We've come a long way, but where are we headed?  Can we use and alter these programs for the greater good?  I say "yes," but it's a team effort!  You have the power to make change.  How will you use it to affect cybersecurity?