Everyone is well aware of how internet criminals like to deploy ransomware as a way to cause havoc. In most cases, getting rid of such malicious software can only be done by paying a specific demand in Bitcoin. However, a new type of ransomware has been discovered which encrypts computer files and does not provide any payment option whatsoever. It appears this was done on purpose, which only makes Kee an even more obvious odd duck in the pond.
Kee Ransomware Is A Real Piece of Work
As if dealing with a ransomware attack is not annoying enough, some developers try to make things even more problematic. To be more specific, the Kee ransomware is a nasty piece of malicious software no one wants to deal with anytime soon. It is unclear who is responsible for creating this new malware strain, yet it is evident they have only one intention: destruction.
To put this into perspective, Kee is not like your average type of ransomware by any means. It does encrypt computer files once it successfully infects a machine, and it displays a ransom message once this process is completed. That is where the correlation with any other type of malicious software ends, though. In fact, it appears the people responsible for developing this project are deliberately trying to prevent people from restoring files access.
There is no option to pay a ransom demand when dealing with this ransomware right now. Although we have seen strains where this is merely a sign of bad coding, Kee proves to be a very different breed of harmful software. It is impossible to decrypt this ransomware for free right now, which means victims have no other option but watch their files remain encrypted and eventually deleted.
Kee also changes your computer background to a black color with red text, explaining how all files on the device have been encrypted. It also makes it clear how victims cannot get their files back, not even by paying a sum in Bitcoin. This malicious intent is something we rarely see from cybercriminals these days, although it could be a sign of what is yet to come in the future. Taunting victims and rubbing it in their faces how they will never get their data back is a very unique approach, to say the least.
It is unclear what the developers of Kee are trying to achieve exactly. It is evident they are not motivated by money, since they don’t allow victims to pay for a decryption key. They are seemingly not stealing information either by the look of things. This is perhaps one of the first types of ransomware that is literally trying to cause havoc without any ulterior motive. If that is the case, the entire world is in for a lot of trouble moving forward.
The fact this malicious software still displays a countdown timer to taunt victims is rather sickening. Once the timer expires, the encrypted files will be deleted from the computer, which is quite a troublesome development. It is unclear if the victims can restore data by loading previous backup onto their hard drive, but it seems unlikely at this stage. We can only hope Kee does not become a global threat anytime soon.
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