Petya Ransomware Removal Key Being Sold For $250,000

You may have heard about Petya. The ransomware spread across the globe last week and impacted many organizations and companies aside from individual users. The creators behind the ransomware have been quiet but their first statement since the cyberattack is an offer to exchange the Petya removal key for $250,000.

The creators of Petya left this message on DeepPaste, an online board service that’s accessible on the Tor network only. They are offering to give the private exchange key used in the ransomware attack in exchange for 100 bitcoin. At the cryptocurrency’s current rate, this equals to around $250,000.

The message is accompanied by a file that’s signed with Petya’s private key which is a big indication that the ground that’s behind this cyberattack posted this message itself. The private key will allow for individual files to be decrypted and unlocked. However, since the virus has deleted certain boot-level files, it will not be possible to recover systems that have been infected entirely.

It’s not known at this point in time whether someone has taken up the Petya creators on their offer. No significant bitcoin transaction has been reported so far. Given the online currency’s value, if someone was going to move $250,000 in bitcoin, it would be noticeable.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Web
Tags: cyberattacks