Security News > 2024 > April > Malware dev lures child exploiters into honeytrap to extort them
You rarely root for a cybercriminal, but a new malware campaign targeting child exploiters doesn't make you feel bad for the victims.
Since 2012, threat actors have been creating a variety of malware and ransomware that pretend to be government agencies warning infected Windows users that they were viewing CSAM. The malware tells victims they must pay a "Penalty" to prevent their information from being sent to law enforcement.
This time, rather than targeting innocent people, the malware developer is targeting those who actively seek out child pornography.
The malware executable is packed with UPX, but when unpacked, it contains a PDB string that indicates that the author called the malware "PedoRansom".
There is nothing special about the malware as all it does is change the target's wallpaper to an extortion demand and drops a ransom note named README.TXT on the desktop, containing similar extortion threats.
Fake cheat lures gamers into spreading infostealer malware.