PDF Files Weaponized to Deliver Multiple Ransomware Variants

Hackers are using weaponized PDF files to distribute ransomware, cybersecurity analysts at AhnLab Security Emergency Response Center warn. By clicking on buttons within the PDFs, users are directed to malicious URLs that prompt downloads of encrypted files containing malware. Once downloaded and executed, the files change the cyber registry, use browser login details to collect users’ IP and location data, and download further malware, leading to a series of increasingly malicious interactions.