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KillDisk Ransomware Now Targets Linux, Prevents Boot-Up, Has Faulty Encryption

Posted by bob on · 2 comments
Bleepingcomputer; By Catalin Cimpanu 		Mail this story
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Researchers have discovered a Linux variant of the KillDisk ransomware, which itself is a new addition to the KillDisk disk wiper malware family, previously used only to sabotage companies by randomly deleting data and altering files.

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Comments (2)

dotmatrix ·
The 2nd comment posted on the article's page shows the possible dangers of using PPAs rather than only official repos.

SidMax wrote:However, hacking PPAs might be another way to distribute the ransomware.


https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/killdisk-ransomware-now-targets-linux-prevents-boot-up-has-faulty-encryption/#cid4242

Crossthreading with the 'What's wrong with GNU/Linux' page:

Major Linux Problems on the Desktop, 2017 edition wrote: !! LTS distros are unusable on the desktop because they poorly support or don't support new hardware, specifically GPUs (as well as Wi-Fi adapters, NICs, sound cards, hardware sensors, etc.). Oftentimes you cannot use new software in LTS distros (normally without miscellaneous hacks like backports, PPAs, chroots, etc.), due to outdated libraries. A recent example is Google Chrome on RHEL 6/CentOS 6.


There's a reason the official repos have older software. And that reason is testing stability of the code along with being able to be fairly certain of the security of the code.

One could argue that the 'outdated' libraries are an issue... or conversely... one could argue that the latest software offering of vendor xyz has not been thoroughly vetted.

BTW: I purchased a new laptop recently. My kids took over my regular computer and my younger special needs children sometimes chew on the mouse wheel or pour syrup into the keyboard... so... it was necessary to get something I could use without the need to share it...

Anyway, I installed my usually Debian... zero problems with incompatible hardware. Of course, I was careful to make sure there were no glaring problems before purchase. However, I didn't look too carefully. The age when there was a need to ensure every component has a page in some hardware compatibility guide is long over.

Circle back to the beginning... Ransomware on GNU/Linux... It's a bit odd that it seems like each attempt at making such malware work on GNU/Linux is only partially successful.

Like this earlier one too:

https://labs.bitdefender.com/2015/11/linux-ransomware-debut-fails-on-predictable-encryption-key/

Last:

Don't use PPAs; they are dangerous.
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seatex ·
The downside with rolling releases, for less experienced users, is having to make manual configuration changes from time to time, to accommodate major software changes. I have been using Linux Mint as my primary OS for years now, as that is what I install and support for clients, family and friends.

However, I have had Manjaro and Antergos running as VMs for the past couple of months, evaluating the ease or lack of ease of maintaining them long-term. So far, the one big change I would like to see is more detailed information provided in the update managers with easy-to-follow instructions or automated scripts to help less technical users maintain the integrity of their rolling systems.

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