The instances of ransomware attacks have been consistently growing. Ransomware encrypts files, so that people can no longer access their data and demands payment for decrypting the files. Digital currency bitcoin has become quite a popular method among these cybercriminals for accepting payments. Bitcoin transactions are open, transparent and secure as every transaction is recorded on the blockchain. However, darknet makes it difficult to trace these transactions, making it a preferred choice for criminals and terrorists.



Recently, there were reports that iPhone maker Apple suffered Bitcoin ransomware attack. In another reported instance, a hospital in California ended up paying 40 BTC to the hackers.



Bitcoinist reports that a latest solution by Bitdefender Labs might be the answer that the bitcoin community has been waiting for.



Bitdefender anti-malware researchers have released a new program which can protect consumers and enterprises from various versions of Bitcoin ransomware. Bitcoinist noted that while the solution may not be able to protect against the newer versions of the malware, it claims to protect computers from CTB-Locker, Locky and TeslaCrypt.



“The new tool is an outgrowth of the Cryptowall vaccine program, in a way”, Bitdefender Chief Security Strategist Catalin Cosoi explained. “We had been looking at ways to prevent this ransomware from encrypting files even on computers that were not protected by Bitdefender antivirus and we realized we could extend the idea.”



Bitcoin ransomware has evolved over the years. When it started appearing 5 years back, users had to download a file and open it on their computer. Email attachments (word docs, PDFs) were the usual source. However, now there are ransomware that do not even require the user to download a file, just visiting an infected website is enough for an attack. In some cases, malware spreads by advertising networks serving infected ads.