CryptoWall 3.0, preceded by version 2.0, went live around mid-January 2015, and it’s a refined ransomware variant in a number of ways. First off, its authors gave up the previously leveraged technique of incorporating exploits into the dropper – instead, the proliferation now relies on exploit kits. This means bigger spreading opportunities and more privileges that can potentially be gained on the targeted machine. Additionally, version 3.0 has gotten an expanded list of Tor gateways used for communicating with the command and control server. The latter Tor-related feature is the bad guys’ fairly smart move towards anonymity. For the victim, it means that they need to install Tor Browser before they can start following the instructions. ...read more

What is Cryptowall The CryptoWall virus (Cryptowall 2.0 or Cryptowall 3.0) is a Trojan that attacks Windows computers. It belongs to the category of malware dubbed “ransomware”. These viruses take your computer “hostage” and prevent it from functioning as normal, then demand a ransom—to be transferred digitally, of course—in exchange of letting your computer or data “free” again. In CryptoWall’s case, the Trojan attacks your personal files on your computer and encrypts them with a secret key that only the “malware’s operators” know. If the user of the infected computer wants to decrypt them, he or she is instructed to pay a ransom in exchange for the decryption key/program. ...read more

I was watching a clip of my friends goofing off on YouTube, then all of a sudden, my computer made a loud scary noise. I pressed the power button and it crashed. Luckily, I found A&M on the Yellow Pages. They were nice on the phone, gave me an estimate and fixed my computer the same day. ...read more