A ransomware that asks for justice, not money

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Peasant protests in India have attracted significant attention worldwide, and protests that began on roads and railway tracks have now reached cyberspace.

According to a report by cybercity firm Quick Heal, a new ransomware Sarablo is being distributed through malicious Word documents containing political messages supporting the peasant community.

The downloaded ransomware encrypts the files on the system with the extension .sarbloh and shows the ransom note. In this case, the attack does not ask for money, but demands justice for the farmers.

Also read Bridging gaps in India’s cyber security

The Khalsa Cyber ​​Army-led attack uses military-grade encryption on system files to render them useless. Quick Heal researchers said the attackers wanted to send a message that until the demands of the farmers were met, the victim’s data would not be withdrawn.

“Your files are locked. Your files are gone. Until the demand of the farmers is met, they will not be recoverable.

Himanshu Dubey, Director – Quick Heal Security Labs, said in a statement, “The latest Sarbalo ransomware seems to work in favor of farmers without any monetary gain, which is a testament to their increased attack capabilities.”

Quick Heal advised users not to download any documents coming from unknown emails and messages. In addition, it asked users to avoid clicking on unsolicited links and spam emails.