Skip to main content

The latest ransomware scheme knows where you live, demands over $500

A phishing email that publishes your physical address has been doing the rounds this week, and has been used to deliver a nasty form of ransomware.

BBC News first reported on Wednesday that thousands of people have received the email. A radio reporter from BBC Radio 4 got one of these emails and points out that it was “exact” with his postal address.

Recommended Videos

“When I say exact I mean, not the way my address is written by those autofill sections on web pages, but the way I write my address,” said the reporter.

As for the content of the email, it was classic fare, as the message told the recipient he or she owed some company or charity £800. But the emails may be more dangerous than the usual phishing scam.

US security firm Blue Coat contacted the reporters to warn them that the emails contain a version of ransomware called Maktub that rapidly encrypts your system’s files and holds them hostage. Maktub is also unique in that it increases the ransom demand the longer your take to pay it. On the first day it demands about $580 worth of Bitcoin. By day three, that jumps to $790.

The most puzzling aspect of this newest ransomware delivery method is how exactly the fraudsters know the recipients’ postal addresses, which is a form of social engineering and helps in making the email look much more legitimate. It remains unclear for now, but the addresses have most likely been lifted from a stolen database as the result of a data breach somewhere.

The Maktub ransomware itself has been around for a few weeks. It was one of the various strains of the virus that has been infecting hospital servers and almost bringing care services to a standstill. It’s still unknown who the source of Maktub is but as The Register reports, it won’t infect systems using the Russian keyboard locale, which may hint at least to the nationality or location of the culprits, and we’ve already seen some evidence of hackers tailoring their viruses to only hit particular countries.

Jonathan Keane
Jonathan is a freelance technology journalist living in Dublin, Ireland. He's previously written for publications and sites…
These two macOS 26 features would transform the way I use my Mac
Writing tools in Apple Notes.

Apple’s execution with note-taking on macOS leaves a lot of room for improvement. There are so many areas where it feels like an abandoned project, instead of the future-proof experience that native iOS apps often deliver. In fact, the disparity across its own platforms is troubling. 

Take, for example, iPadOS and iOS. You can quickly launch a notes page straight from the control, without having to close the existing app and launch the Notes app. On macOS, you don’t get any such facility. 

Read more
Looking for a 2-in-1 laptop? The Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 is $250 off
Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 front view showing tend mode.

Samsung is a brand that's better known for its smartphones and TVs, but it also has fantastic laptop deals, like this one for the Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360. You can currently get this 2-in-1 laptop with a $250 discount, which slashes its price from $1,700 to $1,450. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this offer though, so if you're interested in buying this premium device but you want to get it for a lower price than usual, you're going to have to proceed with your purchase immediately.

Why you should buy the Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 2-in-1 laptop

Read more
Upgrade to this Alienware 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor while it’s $300 off
Cyberpunk 2077 being played on the Alienware 32 QD-OLED.

The powerful machine you purchased from gaming PC deals should be paired with a premium display, and the 32-inch Alienware 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor comes with our stamp of approval. It's also on sale from Dell right now, with a $300 discount slashing its price from $1,200 to only $900. That's a steal when you consider the capabilities of this screen, so you're going to have to hurry with your purchase as stocks may run out at any moment.

Why you should buy the 32-inch Alienware 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor

Read more