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Tech

Cybercriminals Promise to Donate Ransom To Charity (SUUUURE!)

Yeah, OK.
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via GIPHY

Internet users who get infected by ransomware, a popular type of malware that encrypts a victim's files and asks for a ransom to unlock them, already have a pretty good reason to cave and pay. Without a backup, or a decryption key, there's no way to get those files back.

But some creative cybercriminals have found a new way to try to convince victims to fess up their money faster: telling victims to think of the children. That's basically the strategy of the unknown operators of a new strain of ransomware, dubbed CyptMix.

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"Your money will be spent for the children charity. So that is mean that You will get a participation in this process too," reads the ransom note sent to victims of a new type of ransomware discovered by Heimdal Security and others. "Many children will receive presents and medical help! And We trust that you are kind and honest person! Thank You very much! We wish You all the best! Your name will be in the main donors list and will stay in the charity history!"

"Your money will be spent for the children charity. […] Many children will receive presents and medical help!"

Even more bizarrely, the hackers, who sign their message as "Charity Team," also promise "FREE tech support for solving any PC troubles for 3 years!"

So you get your files back, donate money to "children charity," and even get free tech support. All for 5 bitcoin (around $2,200)! Sounds legit.

The cybercriminals behind this operation don't really specify where they'll donate the money, and there's no way to verify their claims. We reached out to emails they advertise in their operations, but haven't heard back yet.

Nothing is impossible in life. Many hackers do have noble intentions, but they usually don't extort money from innocent victims. So, let's face it, it's more likely this is all bullshit.

"We can hardly trust cyber criminals to have a kind and generous side to them," Andra Zaharia, from Heimdal Security, wrote in a blog post. "Real life is nothing like the movies."