back to article Gamers! Ransomware will scramble your save files unless you cough up $1,000

Researchers have spotted malware that targets gamers, and threatens to trash their in-game progress unless they pay up. teslacrypt target files Of the 185 file types encrypted, games are Teslacrypt's top target The software nasty, dubbed Teslacrypt, works in the same way as traditional ransomware like Cryptolocker. It …

  1. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    That's pretty nasty.

  2. DryBones

    Are you making backups yet? They range from free to $30/month. Looks pretty cheap now, doesn't it?

  3. Woza
    Thumb Up

    well done

    on the subheading!

  4. BongoJoe

    AV

    although the malware backs off if it detects the presence of some antivirus packages,

    It would be interesting to see which packages causes it to back off.

    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      Re: AV

      If you don't need the last few percent of performance, then running Windows in a VM seems a pretty good way of putting off a lot of the smarter malware in case you are analysing it.

      Also the ability to make a copy of a VM and restore operating in minutes, rather than hours (the old install Windows, reboot, patch it, reboot, install your software, find license keys, restore data files, etc) is also great.

  5. DvorakUser

    So, does this count as a blow against the "PC Master Race"? It makes me glad that I do most of my gaming on consoles, but it's still quite frightening.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    World of Warcraft (WoW) etc

    As far as I know, all your WoW gaming details are held on Blizzard's servers. So if this virus encrypts your data on your computer, a clean install of Windows and WoW should do the job. Far worse is if it encrypts your schoolwork, dissertation or thesis ... so backups really important and leave your backup drive disconnected when not in use. Can it encrypt your cloud storage as well?

    1. Shane8

      Re: World of Warcraft (WoW) etc

      You have no idea how long it takes to setup UI and other addons just the way you want them!

      1. keithpeter Silver badge
        Windows

        Re: World of Warcraft (WoW) etc

        @Shane8

        Do a clonezilla clone of the hard drive once a month? Just keep the last clone or two to save hard drive space if you have much files.

      2. ContentsMayVary

        Re: World of Warcraft (WoW) etc

        About 1/2 hour for me... Certainly less than $1,000 dollars worth of time!

  7. rvt

    As a mac user, should i be worried about Teslacrypt?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I'd be more worried about it being a MAC!

      1. The Indomitable Gall
        Headmaster

        @AC

        " I'd be more worried about it being a MAC! "

        As this is a Flash-based attack, your network hardware is not relevant, thus spoofing an alternate MAC for your NIC isn't going to have any effect.

    2. khjohansen
      Gimp

      Nope

      They know you spent all your money when you paid for your computer

    3. Ole Juul

      Clarity please

      I don't have a Mac but I do run FreeBSD and was mildly curious about which operating systems TeslaCrypt would infect. After doing some searching, I think this is one of those stories where "computer=Windows". The web references are to PC, a term which has grown in popular parlance from meaning the 5150 to any machine running a Microsoft Windows operating system. I get that. To the average bloke in the street operating system and hardware are one. But it bothers me that IT sites don't specify the OS, since in an environment where readers actually know a little about that, it really does matter.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Clarity please

        They assume that if you're running Linux, you're smart enough to see 'ransomware' and have already anticipated Windows, Internet Explorer and/or Flash are going to be involved. You *know* an effective ransomware for Linux would have LINUX RANSOMWARE OMG OMG OMG OMG in the headline, so stop being a whiner.

    4. Lith

      I'm not sure if it checks your choice of outerwear.

      I believe people that own red cowboy boots have to pay double though.

  8. poopypants

    Meh

    I follow a regime of regular backups. Doesn't everyone?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Trollface

      Re: Meh

      I prefer to listen eat liqourice to keep regular

    2. Andy Non Silver badge

      Re: Meh

      The need to create backups should be taught in school as the most fundamental part of computer usage. Everyone should work on the basis that everything on their computer may be lost at any instant: hard drive failure, virus/ransomware, accidental deletion of files, fire etc. It isn't difficult, expensive or time consuming to backup important files to thumb drives, CD, cloud etc. Ideally backups should be kept off site in case of fire - for the average person that could simply be keeping an (encrypted) backup CD/USB drive at a relative's or a friend's house.

      One question that some computer users ask me is how often they should do a backup. I reply with "How much data are you prepared to lose, compared to the effort needed to do backups?" So depending on the nature of the data at risk, it could mean backing up anywhere between every few minutes/hours to every week or so.

    3. Adam 52 Silver badge

      Re: Meh

      I have absolutely no idea where most of the software I run stores its state. My docs are backed up but short of a clone I couldn't guarantee that everything else is. I suspect I'm not alone.

      1. phil dude
        Linux

        Re: Meh

        i general principle is to have a NAS (no users to download cruft) behind a firewall and then use NFS to mount files remotely - especially if you are running Windows.

        I have ZFS which supports snapshots, so if your NAS has it, then an infection that trashes your Windows machine, once excised, and have recovery applied. I use Linux, but NAS's come in all sorts of flavours.

        Ultimately, of course, I would like to have a tape attached, only I can't afford it. My 4X copies right now feels sufficiently paranoid...but the experts here will tell you to have removable media as part of the solution.

        Of course, if SSDs using 3D tech become cheap enough, they might give tape a run for its money...

        P.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blame Western Digital. 10 years ago, enough people had experienced unexpected hard drive failure, that average users knew what backups were, and some actually did it. These days PCs are just too damn reliable. Also: Flash + Internet Explorer are the vectors, but they're targeting gamers. Good luck with that.

  10. chivo243 Silver badge

    Oh, what a world

    What has the world come to? I'm really considering shrinking my digital footprint. It's small as it is, but things make me wonder.

  11. Mikel

    A careful analysis

    >It attempts to infect Windows PCs by exploiting a vulnerability ...

    Ah. More exciting opportunities for adventure in Windows land. It seems every day brings several more.

  12. laurence brothers

    I don't get it.

    First of all most steam gaves save to the cloud.

    Secondly, come on, WoW only has a client on your local machine, not any character data.

    Third, what idiot will pay that much to decrypt save files anyway? Just play the damn game over again.

  13. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    Steam ? Not a problem.

    Anyone who actually uses Steam knows that all you have to do to regain your library is reinstall Steam and logon with your password.

    Steam is reliable. Steam does not care about your hard disk, your graphics card or your CPU. You can log on to your own account from any computer or tablet that can run Steam - as long as you have your password, you have access to all your games.

    You can upgrade your PC, you can install Steam on a brand-new HDD, you can even copy your existing Steam directory on a different PC - the only thing that counts is that you log on with your ID and password.

    If Steam is the only problem for someone, then it is no problem. Reformat your disk, reinstall the OS, install Steam and log on. Fuck those scumbags.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If only

    NSA/GCHQ/etc. would use their skills to hack Tor and take down these scumbags, preferably in a public, painful and very messy way. It might go a ways toward redeeming themselves.

  15. larokus

    And my friends think I'm crazy...

    For backing up all of my files and documents to encrypted drives...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: And my friends think I'm crazy...

      You're not being sufficiently paranoid. You should be sending it out to punch cards so the data won't be erased by the magnetic pulses during the coming nuclear war.

  16. Mark Rogers

    It's a rubbery !

    I think that anyone who pays this ransom should then be fined by the courts. If no one ever paid these ransoms then they would stop.

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