The site requires the user to upload any file that has been affected by the ransomware (they specify that they will not store or view the file), and the tool will email the user the relevant private key that can be used for decryption. Well, until a couple of days ago, at least.Ĭomputer security experts and researchers from the firms Fox-IT and FireEye have collaborated to reverse engineer the CryptoLocker software in a project they called 'Operation Tovar.' The collaboration between the two has led to the identification of many of the private keys used by CryptoLocker, and they have subsequently developed a free decryption assistance website and tool to help victims of the ransomware retrieve their data at no cost. If the victim didn't pay within a specified time, then the victim's files would remain encrypted forever. Ransomware would typically lock a victim's computer, demanding that they pay a fee in order to unlock the machine, however CryptoLocker was different.ĬryptoLocker would encrypt the files on the victim's storage using AES-256 bit encryption and demand about $300 in bitcoin in order to retrieve the decryption key.

2013 saw the introduction of an extremely annoying piece of ransomware called CryptoLocker that was fairly original in its implementation.

Crypto locker price