Los Pollos Hermanos – more ransomware doing the rounds, disguised as chicken

Aaaaand the Crypto viruses keep coming… This time, using the popular TV show Breaking Bad‘s fictional food outlet as a gimmick.

In what appears to be a salute to the TV show, the Breaking Bad Ransomware appears on your system showing the Los Pollos Hermanos Chicken Food chain shown in the show.

Behind this notice the virus is similar to previous crypto viruses. If infected, you computers files become encrypted and in order to get your files back, the virus directs you to a website where you can pay a ransom using untraceable Bitcoins. Payment for the ransom appears to vary between $450 and $1000.

Screenshot of the virus on the screen, demanding ransom from you. Doesn’t even ask if you’d like fries with that!

The infection does appear to require user intervention to set it off and bypass virus scanners – note that virus scanners will protect you from viruses but only up to the point where you “open the door” and let them in.

The virus appears to arrive via email in the form of a courier email with a PDF document attached. Upon opening this document, which appears to look quite legitimate, the virus is unleashed and begins to wreak havoc on your system.

So please, be sceptical of unknown senders in your email, and check them thoroughly before opening. If an email look suspicious, chances are it probably is and should be deleted immediately.