Security News > 2021 > June > Paradise Ransomware source code released on a hacking forum
The complete source code for the Paradise Ransomware has been released on a hacking forum allowing any would-be cyber criminal to develop their own customized ransomware operation.
Security Joes researcher Tom Malka, who shared the source code with BleepingComputer, compiled the package and found it creates three executables - a ransomware configuration builder, the encryptor, and a decryptor.
A Paradise ransomware affiliate can use the builder to customize their own version of the ransomware to include a custom command and control server, encrypted file extension, and contact email address.
The Paradise Ransomware operation first launched in September 2017 through phishing emails containing malicious IQY attachments that downloaded and installed the ransomware.
Over time, multiple versions of the ransomware were released, with initial versions containing flaws that led to the release of a Paradise Ransomware decryptor.
Gillespie tells BleepingComputer that the source code is for the secure version of Paradise Ransomware that utilizes RSA encryption to encrypt files.