LeChiffre, the good guys have your number.
The security firm Emsisoft has devised a decryptor program for the LeChiffre ransomware, allowing users to unlock their stolen files for free, Softpedia reported today. Earlier this month, the ransomware infected three Indian banks and a pharmaceutical company, demanding one bitcoin per compromised computer and reportedly causing millions of dollars in damage.
Emsisoft cracked the code after researchers from Malwarebytes separately investigated the malware and discovered it possessed several unusual properties. Unlike most ransomware programs which run automatically upon download, LeChiffree had to be manually executed. Attackers could only launch the program by cracking into poorly secured remote desktops, manually logging in and running it.
LeChiffre is French for “the number” but is also roughly translated as the verb “encrypt.” The Malwarebytes blog noted that while LeChiffre looks “very unprofessional” with practically “no countermeasures against analysis,” it nonetheless succeeded in inflicting damage.
