What you need to know
- Ransomware and Windows go together like bread and butter.
- Though Windows is the primary recipient of ransomware efforts, Linux is getting more and more strains of the threat itself.
- Now LockBit, an irksome danger on the Windows side of computing, has made its Linux debut.
First, they came for Windows. Then, for Tux. As cool as Linux is, it's increasingly becoming a target for ransomware-friendly cyber criminals intent on ruining people's days.
Linux isn't beating out Windows anytime soon in market share, but it's still popular enough to attract bad guys. Case in point: LockBit has hopped ship, no longer content to torment just Redmond. Based on a report from Trend Micro Inc., Linux users who encounter the ransomware can expect the variant tailored to their OS to log the following information:
- Processor information
- Volumes in the system
- Virtual machines (VMs) for skipping
- Total files
- Total VMs
- Encrypted files
- Encrypted VMs
- Total encrypted size
- Time spent for encryption
You can check out Trend Micro's full report for the ins and outs of what LockBit for Linux is made of, but the overall point is that though Windows is a magnet for ransomware, fewer safe havens exist in general these days.
The rise of ransomware means cybercriminals are coming for everyone no matter what operating system they prefer. Though, for now, some are choosing Chrome OS to avoid threats as much as possible.
Malware's always been a problem, but ransomware especially has been a hot commodity in recent memory, so much so that the U.S. government has elected to eyeball sanctions on cryptocurrency to stem the flow of successfully facilitated ransomware schemes. Hide your e-wallets, hide your penguins; they're holding everybody for ransom out here.
