Windows ransomware LockBit makes the jump to Linux

Take out your wallet and kick it across the floor, Tux.

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What you need to know

First, they came for Windows. Then, for Tux. As cool as Linux is, it’s increasingly becoming a target for ransomware-friendly cyber criminals intent on ruining people’s days.

Linux isn’t beating out Windowsanytime soon in market share, but it’s still popular enough to attract bad guys. Case in point:LockBit has hopped ship, no longer content to torment just Redmond. Based on areport from Trend Micro Inc., Linux users who encounter the ransomware can expect the variant tailored to their OS to log the following information:

You can check out Trend Micro’s full report for the ins and outs of what LockBit for Linux is made of, but the overall point is that thoughWindows is a magnet for ransomware, fewer safe havens exist in general these days.

Therise of ransomwaremeans cybercriminals are coming for everyone no matter what operating system they prefer. Though, for now, some arechoosing Chrome OS to avoid threatsas much as possible.

Malware’s always been a problem, but ransomware especially has been a hot commodity in recent memory, so much so that the U.S. government has elected to eyeballsanctions on cryptocurrencyto stem the flow of successfully facilitated ransomware schemes. Hide your e-wallets, hide your penguins; they’re holding everybody for ransom out here.

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Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He’s a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author ofCold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.