Petya is not a ransomware, it is a wiper

Yesterday we echoed about Petya. It was the new ransomware that is already raging globally. Companies of all kinds and institutions are the victims of this attack. And it looks like it can be extended even further, but new key information about this attack has been revealed.

Petya is not a ransomware, it is a wiper

It has been a security expert who has revealed that Petya is not really ransomware. Actually it is a wiper, a malicious program that is dedicated to erase files and entire hard drives. Therefore, all those affected by the attack have never had a chance to recover their files. Because they were not kidnapped as they thought, they had actually been erased.

Petya is a wiper

All victims had to pay $ 300 in Bitcoins to the attackers. For this they had to use an email address. But a few hours after this attack was made public, the account was no longer active. This means that the victims were unable to contact the attackers to make the payment. So they could not get the key needed to unlock their files.

But that was never an option, since the files have been deleted. What has been confirmed is that Petya is a modified version of a ransomware called Petya. This ransomware was the original version, to name it somehow, which was designed as ransomware. This new version is not dedicated to kidnapping, but to deleting files. Therefore, it is a wiper.

Many are now questioning the reasons for making an attack with this type of virus. Since destroying files does not bring them any benefit. Although considering that the victims of this attack are government entities, banks and other companies, there may be other reasons behind the attack. What do you think?