Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates has been targeted by cyber-attackers who were demanding ransom.

A UAE company has warned of a new type of cyber-attack on the emirates as well as other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. ESET Middle East, based in Dubai, said targets were sent an attachment that infects computers and locks the user’s screen.

“Organizations in the UAE are getting targeted e-mail, mainly having a subject containing the word ‘fax,'” ESET security specialist Mohammed Djenane said. “This e-mail contains an attachment infected with a trojan downloader.”

Once the attachment is open, a malware called CBT-Locker is opened and encrypts specific file formats. Then, the user receives a ransom message that demands $1,680 for the release of data.

Executives compared CTB-Locker to Crypto-Locker, another so-called ransomware that appeared in September 2013. They said both operate in the same manner in encrypting the victim’s computer, although CTB-Locker uses a different type of encryption algorithm.

“ESET has identified a new strain of ransomware affecting the GCC and the UAE in particular through targeted e-mails,” the company said.

  New cyber-attacks in United Arab Emirates demand ransoms, WorldTribune.com