US Warns Users of Child-Porn Blackmail Ransomware

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US Warns Users of Child-Porn Blackmail Ransomware

Posted by timothy on Saturday June 2, 2012 @07:50PM from the nefarious-evildoers dept.

coondoggie writes "The nasty Trojan known as Citadel malware, which is based on Zeus, has typically been used to extort money from online banking users, but a new variant is making the rounds that tries to get your money by saying you looked at child porn sites and must pay a violation fee to the U.S. Department of Justice. This variation, called Reveton, lures the victim to a drive-by download website, at which time the ransomware is installed on the user's computer, says the U.S. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Once installed, the computer freezes and a screen is displayed warning the user they have violated United States Federal Law."

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Scummy yet brilliant. by MrQuacker · 2012-06-02 19:56 · Score: 5, Insightful

Its not like you can call the police and complain about it. You'll instantly get labeled as a pedo and have your kids taken away.
1. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by shiftless · 2012-06-02 23:04 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  No, the only solution is to get rid of the police state that scapegoats people and singles them out for extra punishment based on their membership of some arbitrary group of "evil" people.
2. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by Opportunist · 2012-06-02 23:56 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  And that's the part that scares me more than that ransomware by itself. Because it can only mean one of two things:
  1. That there ARE actually that many people looking at CP and they feel guilty and don't get help for that reason.
  2. The CP witch hunt has crossed the line where people don't even dare to get help if accused wrongly because the allegation alone already puts you on some stupid list.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
3. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by Opportunist · 2012-06-02 23:58 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  You mean, like, say, Communists?
  Oh, the ironing.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
4. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by DarkOx · 2012-06-03 00:07 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  We don't have "American Law" we have whatever your favorite executive agency decides to this week or worse with this person. That is the real problem.
  
  --
  Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
5. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by VortexCortex · 2012-06-03 00:18 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  But it's possession of illegal material. There are many good reasons why possession of certain stuff can be considered a crime. Toxic/dangerous stuff without a license.
  You may disagree that CP should be considered illegal material, but good luck convincing lots of people otherwise.
  On any website there could be this:
  <iframe src="http://pedo.example.com/illegal-porn.jpg" style="width:1px; height:1px; border:none" ></iframe>
  Cross site scripting and/or SQL injection could easily plant that stuff on any website, unseen. Your browser will happily and automatically download the image and put the "illegal material" in your possession.
  We don't need "good luck convincing lots of people" that this can happen to them, all we need are script-kiddies like Anonymous who'd love nothing more than to get a bunch of people wrongfully convicted of child porn possessions esp. if it means making a point about how retarded the law is.
  This stuff isn't dangerous or toxic sitting in your Internet cache unseen and unknown to anyone. It's only dangerous to have the configuration of bits on your drive because the laws have deemed it to be so. Protip: this script kiddie scenario isn't hypothetical... delete your caches regularly.
6. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by spiffmastercow · 2012-06-03 01:55 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I'm not so sure he was joking.. At any rate, if you call the cops they expect to arrest someone. If the real perp is too inconvenient to go after, you're the lucky winner. This is even more likely if the malware does a bunch of google searches for kiddie porn in the background
7. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by ObsessiveMathsFreak · 2012-06-03 02:04 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  This has nothing to do with "possession" or even crime in and of itself.
  This has to do with the hysterical overreaction of the general public towards anything which is so much as suspected as being involved with or related to child pornography. Victims of this ransom-ware may well pay in fear of being ripped to pieces by an angry mob, and their fears would not be all that far fetched at this point. At the very least, they stand a good chance of having their entire life ruined should even a hint of suspicion fall on them.
  Child pornography, like all hysterias, has become an excuse for a segments of the public to indulge in chaos, anarchy and criminal behaviour in their reaction to it. Even a pointed finger can now be a life or death sentence for innocent people. This is why it was important not to let the rule of law slide on this or any other issue.
  But no. People wanted to indulge their outrage. I suppose democracies get what they deserve.
  
  --
  May the Maths Be with you!
8. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by 1s44c · 2012-06-03 06:06 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  By 'rapist', you mean 'is accused of having consensual sex without using a condom', a minor crime in Sweden with a $750 penalty.
  If it's such a minor crime why is Sweden willing to extradite him for it? Maybe because they intend to send him to a US torture camp, something the UK is unwilling to do.
  Rape, having consensual sex without using a condom, or whatever every else Julian Assange is being accused of is just a ruse to get him somewhere the US can deport from.
9. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by DarkOx · 2012-06-03 07:21 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Yes once in a great while you see a tiny glimmer of hope but not often enough. The former administration was slightly better in that they at least got Congress to authorize things, even if they boondoggled them to do it. The current admin has lets see:
  1. Orchestrated the passage of the Affordable Care Act in a way that was deliberately designed to prevent congress for reading it before the vote.
  2. Given an American Car company to the Italians over the objection of the bond holders, despite the proper order claims under bankruptcy law. Going on TV and (this is provable) knowingly lying about the position of the bond holders and thereby slandering them as unwilling to help the nation.
  3. Conducted a military action without congressional approval in Libya for more than 60 days.
  4. Decided on their own Due Process, where it comes to the execution of an American Citizen, is met by simply talking about it amongst themselves.
  5. Granted states waivers for the No Child Left Behind act despite the fact that the low does not specify an provision for doing so and they have no legal authority to do fail to enforce the law in this way even if it is stupid.
  I could go on and on but the above are the ones most people will be familiar with. Regardless of if in your view the immediate outcome of some of these actions has been positive or your feelings on the policy being correct. It show contempt for our political system. It damages the rule of law and the strength or our Constitutional protections.
  Over the long term its bad for the nation. No simply voting a GOP at least the mainstream, or TEA party ticket is not the answer. There are good people on both sides of the political isle who act with integrity. That is the answer voters need to set aside their short term agendas and elect people who respect our laws and system. We need to vote for people who look at our political frame work as something to cherish and work within, rather than something to try and weasel around.
  
  --
  Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
10. Re:Scummy yet brilliant. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-03 08:44 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I speak from personal experience. Being arrested and charged with a sex crime does fuck you for life in the U.S. I was arrested, spent 14 months awaiting my "speedy trial" and was acquitted in court. However when I purchase a gun my arrest is flagged and it takes three days for the paper work to be approved. Also I have neighbors who now treat me like dirt because the arrest is printed in the paper but the acquittal isn't. Being arrested is akin to being convicted, in the American legal system. Here, there is no such thing as the American Justice system.
Stupidity by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-02 19:57 · Score: 2, Insightful

A "violation fee" to the "Department of Justice" for a felony without conviction.
What kind of idiot is going to--- never mind.
Re:Who would fall for a fee? by Amouth · 2012-06-02 20:37 · Score: 5, Insightful

but even if it is only in that area - you have to prove you didn't do it, and even if you can do that you have to do it n court, even if you come away "free" then it is still there that you where once prosecuted for it, and you have to live/survive that process which will more than likely ruin your life as you know it.

--
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
Re:aka Idiot tax by SuricouRaven · 2012-06-02 20:50 · Score: 4, Insightful

I think it's a great scam, because people are terrified of the idea of being associated with child porn. A threat like that will ensure they don't go to a repair shop, or mention it to anyone. Not the police, not friends or family. Noone. Greatly reducing the chance of the sucker being told it's a scam.
Re:de-lousing... by SuricouRaven · 2012-06-02 21:00 · Score: 5, Insightful

You are not the target of this scam.
Re:Not as bad as I expected... by DarwinSurvivor · 2012-06-02 21:07 · Score: 4, Insightful

That would also make them distributors and the target of just about every federal and most international police forces. As it stands now, it's just extorsion so as far as the governments are concerned, they're just lumped in with all the other un-prosecuted Nigerian scammers.
Re:aka Idiot tax by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-02 21:13 · Score: 5, Insightful

In most places, Illegal porn gets you a a dirty look from the judge and a fine if you are really unlucky. CP on the other hand can get you a 20+ year sentence in the US.
It doesn't matter if the victim watches it or not. The scammers are hoping to exploit the fact that their victims would be reluctant to seek help out of fear of false prosecution, which is not as far fetched as I'd like to. Personally, I'd suggest zero-write to anyone who caught this bug. I wouldn't count on the malware authors not putting incriminating evidence on infected systems and even putting spiteful logic bombs which trigger when you clean the infection. Better paranoid than trying to reason with the pitchfork jury.
As night follows day by PopeRatzo · 2012-06-03 00:55 · Score: 4, Insightful

Who couldn't see this coming? First, you make "looking at child porn" the worstest crime imaginable, like genocide against against a million nuns, worst than murder, worst than cannibalism, worst than, I don't know, eating fatty food, and then you...PROFIT!
Anybody want to bet that in the next few years (or less) we'll be hearing about some major politician who has (cue the somber, scary music...) looked at drawings of naked children.
"Is he right for America? We don't think so. Paid for by Americans for Families and Stopping Immoral Behavior among People Who are Different From Us."

--
You are welcome on my lawn.