Cryptolocker Decrypted By Security Researchers

Security researchers have reverse-engineered the Cryptolocker attack and set up a website where victims can upload a file and receive the decryption keys for no charge. Ars Technica reports that researchers launched Decrypt Cryptolocker to help victims gain access to their files without paying the ransom.

Security firm FireEye wrote about the efforts to reverse engineer the attack, and points out there are variants of CryptoLocker in the wild, so this tool might not succeed for everyone, such as those currently suffering from the SynoLocker attack.

BBC reports more on the Cryptolocker saga, including the FBI charging Russian man Evgeniy Bogachev with being the ringleader of the group behind the exploit.

Cryptolocker was a malware variant that primarily infected Windows computers, spreading via a worldwide network of hijacked home computers. Law enforcement agencies neutralized that network in May, but not before Cryptolocker had claimed 500,000 victims.