.LPD BM.I Ransomware

.LPD BM.I is short for Landespolizeidirection Bundes Ministerium für Inneres, the Austrian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The .LPD BM.I Ransomware is a typical Police Ransomware infection that targets computers with an IP address located in Austria. Like most police ransomware infections, the .LPD BM.I Ransomware displays a fake warning from the Austrian police force and then attempts to extort the victim with threats of jail time and fines of thousands of Euros. ESG security researchers have intercepted numerous variants of this scam, of which .LPD BM.I Ransomware is only one of countless police ransomware infections targeting specific countries. Austria and Germany represent one of the biggest markets for police ransomware developers in Europe. The majority of police ransomware variants targeting European computer users have been specifically designed to scam computer users located in Austria and Germany. The .LPD BM.I Ransomware Trojan is just one more Winlocker in this worrying trend.

The .LPD BM.I Ransomware's main tactic is to block access to the infected computer's desktop. Once this is done, the computer user will not be able to access the infected computer. Whenever the infected computer starts up, the .LPD BM.I Ransomware will display a full-screen message claiming that the victim's computer was involved in illegal activity. Like most other police ransomware infections, the .LPD BM.I Ransomware message begins by warning the victim that the infected computer has actually been locked by the .LPD BM.I and then goes on to list the possible infractions incurred by the victim. These include spreading malware, viewing pornographic material and stealing copyrighted media. Each of these includes various legal terms meant to scare the victim and threats of years of imprisonment and a big amount of Euros in fines. Finally, the .LPD BM.I Ransomware message claims that it is possible to bypass these fines if the victim is willing to pay an emolument of a couple of hundred Euros.

Even though the .LPD BM.I Ransomware message is worrying, ESG security researchers recommend ignoring it completely. Paying this malware's 'fine' will not unlock your computer. Rather, ESG security researchers advise computer users to remove a .LPD BM.I Ransomware infection with the help of a reliable anti-malware program and alternate boot methods to access a locked operating system.