from attacked companies . Akamai revealed earlier today that it detected DDoS attacks executed via Memcached servers that were different from others . Instead of blasting targets with UDP packets containing random data , one group of attackers is leaving short messages inside these packets . This one group is askingAttack.Ransomvictims to payAttack.Ransom50 Monero —around $ 17,000— to a Monero address . The group does n't say it will stop the attack but only implies it . Such attacks have first appeared in 2015 and were initially referred to as DDoS-for-Bitcoin after the DD4BTC group that pioneered such tactics . The group would send emails to various companies , threatening to launch DDoS attacks unless they paid a ransom feeAttack.Ransom. Even if the group 's members were arrested , other factions appeared in subsequent years , using unique names such as Armada Collective or XMR Squad , but also mimicking hacker groups such as Anonymous or LulzSec . The tactic , now known as ransom DDoS (RDoS)Attack.Ransom, has become quite popular among cybercriminal groups , and there have been too many RDoS campaignsAttack.Ransomto remember in the past years . In most past cases , attackers did n't have the firepower to launch DDoS attacks if victims ignored the ransom demandAttack.Ransom. But the Memcached-based DDoS extortionsAttack.Ransomare different . Attackers clearly have the DDoS cannon to take down companies , mainly due to the large number of unsecured Memcached servers they can abuse to launch these attacksAttack.Ransom. Victims are also more likely to payAttack.Ransom, seeing that they 're under a heavy attackAttack.Ransomand this is n't just an empty threat . But according to Daniel Smith , a Radware security researcher who spoke with Bleeping Computer , paying the Monero ransomAttack.Ransomwo n't help companies at all.That 's because attackers have used the same Monero address for multiple DDoS attacks against different targets . Here 's the same Monero address from the Akamai attacks , but spotted by a different security researcher . Attackers would n't have the ability to tell which of the multiple targets they attacked paid the ransomAttack.Ransom. The general consensus is that this group is using a carpet bombing technique , hittingAttack.Ransomas many targets as possible for short bursts , hoping to scare one into payingAttack.Ransom. `` Multiple targets are sent the same message in hopes that any of them will pay the ransomAttack.Ransom, '' Akamai said in a report today , echoing Smith 's recommendation not to pay the ransomAttack.Ransom. `` There is no sign to suggest that they are actively tracking the targets reaction to the attacks , no contact information , no detailed instructions on payment notification , '' Akamai added . `` If a victim were to deposit the requested amountAttack.Ransominto the wallet , we doubt the attackers would even know which victim the paymentAttack.Ransomoriginated from , let alone stop their attacks as a result . ''
Cybercriminals that specialize in ransomware , which affects thousands of computers and mobile devices every year , are ramping up their attacks against businesses . It is here that they can get their hands on valuable information and large sums of cash . This particular kind of malware , which hijacks devices and demands a ransomAttack.Ransomfor their return , has managed to conquer another kind of technology : smart TVs . Last December , the American developer Darren Cauthon announced on Twitter that a family member ’ s television had fallen victim to one of these attacksAttack.Ransom. The television in question was an LG model that came out in 2014 that is compatible with Google TV , a version of Android tailored to televisions . Once it had infiltrated the device , the malicious software demanded a ransomAttack.Ransomof $ 500 dollars to unlock the screen , which simulated a warning from the Department of Justice . pic.twitter.com/kNz9T1kA0p — Darren Cauthon ( @ darrencauthon ) December 25 , 2016 The appearance of the false message would lead you to believe that it ’ s a version of the ransomware known as Cyber.police , also known as FLocker . Ordinarily this ransomware affects smartphones with Google ’ s operating system . After hijacking the device , the malware collectsAttack.Databreachinformation from the user and the system , including contact information and the location of the device , to be sent encrypted to cybercriminals .