Hackers demand millions in ransom from Mexico oil company
Mexico’s state-owned oil company, Pemex, was targeted in a ransomware attack. Hackers have demanded $4.9m in bitcoin in order to decrypt the company’s files.
The attack, reported to have been detected earlier this week, allegedly forced the shut down of systems across the country. A ransom note posted online suggests that the DoppelPaymer ransomware was used, which is a derivative of BitPaymer.
Ransomware attacks vary in their approach. One of the most common methods is through phishing, which tricks users into opening a file that looks legitimate. More aggressive forms of attack can exploit unpatched vulnerabilities to infect computers.
Once ransomware has infected a computer a common action is for it to encrypt users’ files. These files can typically only be decrypted using a key that only the attacker holds.
I am one of the editors here at www.systemtek.co.uk I am a UK based technology professional, with an interest in computer security and telecoms.