Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus (Ransomware)

Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus (Ransomware) Image

The Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus is one of the many ransomware that target computer users in Germany. This country has been one of the prime targets for the bands of criminals responsible for these outbreaks of Trojans. There is a good reason for this; the revenue generated by ransomware in Germany accounts for a very large percentage of what these criminals gather in their European attacks. The Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus is different from any of the dozens of police ransomware Trojans, commonly referred to as variants of the Ukash Virus. They receive this nickname because the Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus and its variants demand payment of a ransom through Ukash online payment service.

The Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus is designed to induce novice PC users into paying a ransom of one hundred Euros. The Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus is designed to block access to the infected computer. To do this, the Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus uses a Winlocker component which prevents the computer user from gaining access to files and Windows components on the infected computer. Then, the Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus displays a full-screen message claiming that the infected computer was blocked as part of a law enforcement operation. This message accuses the victim of perusing forbidden pornographic material and downloading illegal software and files. It claims that the victim must pay a one hundred euro fee through Ukash in order to avoid incarceration and fines of thousands of Euros. It is important to understand that following the instructions in the Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus message will do nothing to remove this threat from your computer or regain access to your operating system.

One of the characteristics of the Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus is that this particular variant only attacks computers with a German IP address. There are numerous variants of the Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus, each tailored specifically to a particular geographical location. Each variant uses a message written in a different country's language and impersonates that country's main police agency. A computer outside of Germany will be infected with the variant of the Federal Department of Justice and Police Virus corresponding to that particular country.