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SLocker Android Ransomware

The SLocker Android ransomware is back with a new wave of infections. The identified new infections were previously undetected and unreported.
Threat ID:
CC-1415
Category:
Ransomware
Threat Severity:
Low
Threat Vector:
Download
Published:
17 May 2017 12:00 AM
Report a cyber attack: call 0300 303 5222 or email [email protected]

This content has been archived

This article no longer conforms to NHS Digital's standards for cyber alerts, and may contain outdated or inaccurate information. Use of this information contained in this page is at your own risk

Summary

The SLocker Android ransomware is back with a new wave of infections. The identified new infections were previously undetected and unreported.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Android

Android - all versions

Threat details

After using a new machine learning system, similarities were detected between older SLocker versions and other suspicious apps.

This identified over 400 new SLocker variants that featured small changes, which allowed them to pass undetected by most mobile security apps. With these new 400 variants, this brings the total number of SLocker variations to over 3,000. These variations include the usage of new icons, renamed source code functions, heavy obfuscation, and the insertion of dummy code inside the app to alter its structure.

The SLocker ransomware is one of the most aggressive Android ransomware strains known. The ransomware works just like other threats. After the user installs a tainted app, SLocker starts a hidden process that starts encrypting the user's files.

Once the encryption process ends, the ransomware locks the user's device and shows a ransom note, which tries to force victims into paying, using the theme of "The Police have caught you watching forbidden adult content."

Some of the features that made SLocker stand out was that it used Tor for the C&C server communications and that it was one of the very few Android ransomware families that actually encrypted data. Most Android ransomware just restricts access to your screen, but rarely encrypts any files.

Remediation steps

Type Step
  • Ensure an anti-virus application is installed on Android devices.
  • Read user reviews before installing an application, which may highlight anything suspicious.
  • Ensure that user data is regularly backed up.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 11:39 am