Cerber has taken creepiness for victims and affordability for criminals to a new level Credit: Thinkstock A new file-encrypting ransomware program called Cerber has taken creepiness for victims, but also affordability for criminals, to a new level.In terms of functionality Cerber is not very different than other ransomware threats. It encrypts files with the strong AES-256 algorithm and targets dozens of file types, including documents, pictures, audio files, videos, archives and backups.The program encrypts file contents and file names and changes the original extensions to .cerber. It can also scan for and encrypt available network shares even if they are not mapped to a drive letter in the computer.Once the encryption process is done, Cerber will drop three files on the victim’s desktop named “# DECRYPT MY FILES #.” They contain the ransom demand and instructions on how to pay it. One of those files is in TXT format, one is HTML and the third contains a VBS (Visual Basic Scripting). The VBS file is unusual. According to Lawrence Abrams, administrator of the technical support forum BleepingComputer.com, the file contains text-to-speech code that converts text into an audio message.“When the above script is executed, your computer will speak a message stating that your computer’s files were encrypted and will repeat itself numerous times,” Abrams said in a blog post. According to Cyber intelligence outfit SenseCy, Cerber’s creators are selling the ransomware as a service on a private Russian-language forum. This makes it available to low-level criminals who might not have the coding skills or resources to create their own ransomware. It also means that this threat might see widespread distribution. Related content news Amazon’s AWS Control Tower aims to help secure your data’s borders As digital compliance tasks and data sovereignty rules get ever more complicated, Amazon wants automation to help. By Jon Gold Nov 28, 2023 3 mins Regulation Regulation Government news North Korean hackers mix code from proven malware campaigns to avoid detection Threat actors are combining RustBucket loader with KandyKorn payload to effect an evasive and persistent RAT attack. By Shweta Sharma Nov 28, 2023 3 mins Malware feature How a digital design firm navigated its SOC 2 audit L+R's pursuit of SOC 2 certification was complicated by hardware inadequacies and its early adoption of AI, but a successful audit has provided security and business benefits. By Alex Levin Nov 28, 2023 11 mins Certifications Compliance news GE investigates alleged data breach into confidential projects: Report General Electric has confirmed that it has started an investigation into the data breach claims made by IntelBroker. By Shweta Sharma Nov 27, 2023 3 mins Data Breach Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe