Threat Management, Incident Response, Malware, TDR

Unlucky numbers: Ransomware 7ev3n extorts victims for 13 bitcoins

The newly discovered ransomware known as “ 7ev3n” is especially “gr33dy.”

A report published earlier this week by BleepingComputer cautioned readers of this nasty new malware, which encrypts victims' files and demands 13 bitcoins for the key. Thirteen bitcoins is the equivalent of just over $4,900 U.S., making the ransom demand “the largest we have seen to date for this type of infection,” the report states.

7ev3n is also highly destructive — it  installs a batch file that disables the infected machine's bootup and recovery capabilities, including the Windows Emergency Management System, the Advanced Options startup menu and more.

There is no free decryption key for the ransomware at this time, and even when one pays up, the task of making the system usable again is painstaking, the report warns. Fortunately, 7ev3n is not known to have significantly spread.

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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