A couple of months ago we reported about an Android-based LG Smart TV had its screen bricked after a critical ransomware infection. Now, a series of similar attacks is taking place against Samsung Galaxy S7 devices, in which hackers are infecting Galaxy S7 models with malware, locking out screens and demanding ransom payments.
These attacks are currently raising in the United Kingdom. The victim, in this case, told HackRead that it happened while they were using Facebook messenger on their smartphone, and no app was downloaded from a third-party nor Google Play Store during or before the incident.
More: Hackers Infect Hotel Door Lock System with Ransomware
It happened on 18th March, when a supposed “penalty notice” from Enforcement Bailiffs Ltd appeared on the smartphone informing the victim that their device has been blocked due to the presence of Child abuse content. It must be noted that Enforcement Bailiffs Ltd is a UK based commercial property enforcement specialists and has nothing to do with cyber crime related cases.
Furthermore, the notice threatened victims in paying 200 GBP or else the so-called offensive material will be made public, and a case will go on trial. Here are the exclusive screenshots provided by the victim:
The cyber criminals displayed user’s Gmail account along with details like country, region, city, location, device, IP address, OS name, and SDK version.
Some portion of this warning message is a copy paste from Crown Prosecution Service UK.
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Moreover, the warning message informed the victim to pay the ransom money through secure online payment platform PaySafeCard.
Since the threats were bullshit from the get go, the reasonable solution for this ransomware infection was a simple factory reset once the battery died and that’s what the victim did to restore their smartphone successfully. However, in some cases; it is nearly impossible to get rid of the ransomware infection. For this, cyber security giants and Europol launched a ‘No More Ransom’ Anti-Ransomware Portal which has already decrypted over 2,500 ransomware victims and saved 1.3 Mil Euros from cyber criminals.
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More: Police Department held to ransom by hackers; crucial digital evidence lost
Also, the Samsung Galaxy S7 ransomware scam was previously seen on an iPhone 5 back in 2015, when a victim had their device locked with a similar message as on the Galaxy S7 device. The only difference was the iPhone 5 user was watching porn on YouPorn while the Samsung user was talking with their pals on Facebook messenger.
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