Ransomware attack to support farmers

New Delhi: IN a unique way to support protesting farmers in India, cyber criminals have launched a new ransomware attack in the country that does not ask for money but justice for the community, conveying a message that no data will be recovered until the demands of the farmers are met, a new report revealed on Wednesday.

The ransomware is designed to target entities connected with farmers' protests in India, with the hacker group titled Khalsa Cyber Fauj reported to be leading this attack in the country.

Quick Heal Security Labs, the threat research and response division of global cybersecurity firm Quick Heal Technologies, said it has discovered the ransomware named as "Sarbloh", which is being distributed through malicious word documents via emails, containing a political message supporting the farmers' community. "The latest Sarbloh ransomware that appears to be working in the favour of farmers without any monetary grains is a testimony to their growing attack abilities," said Himanshu Dubey, Director, Quick Heal Security Labs.

Surprisingly, threat actors through this new attack technique are infecting user devices by encrypting their files without asking for a ransom, which is usually the key objective of any ransomware. "Khalsa Cyber Fauj is using military-grade encryption on system files to turn them useless," the company mentioned. The news came as apart from intensifying the agitation at Delhi's borders, farmers are now trying to strengthen the stir against the Union farm laws on social media platforms as well.