A nasty piece of hi-tech malware which wipes host PCs clean if users try to get rid of it is spreading via infected email messages.
The Rombertik malware locks every document on your PC if you attempt to detect it – and they’re impossible to get back.
Victims have to entirely re-install Windows, losing any files they might have stored on the PC.
The malware is also relatively easy to avoid – it arrives in the form of infected email attachments, so avoid clicking on files in emails, especially ZIP files.
Once installed, it attempts to steal information from your internet browser, which could be used for identity theft or stealing from bank accounts. Rombertik only affects Windows machines.
If the malware detects that it is being analysed – such as by some security software – it sends a command to encrypt and lock all documents on the computer.
The machine then enters an ‘infinite loop’, displaying the message, ‘Carbon crack attempt, failed.’
Tech company Cisco, which detected the computer bug, says, ‘Effectively, Rombertik begins to behave like a wiper malware sample, trashing the user’s computer if it detects it’s being analyzed.
‘While Talos has observed anti-analysis and anti-debugging techniques in malware samples in the past, Rombertik is unique in that it actively attempts to destroy the computer if it detects certain attributes associated with malware analysis.
Cisco says that up-to-date PC security software will help to protect against the bug – and that users should be extra careful opening emails with attachments.
