Eek!
"Check Point reached out..."
Don't. Just stop.
Miscreants have cooked up a new strain of ransomware that works offline and so might be more resistant to law enforcement takedown efforts as a result. The ransomware family (identified by various names by antivirus firms) manages to encrypt files on infected Windows PCs without storing the entire decryption key locally – and …
I thought the russian method of offline ransom operations involved a couple of guys (of the no-neck variety plus one smart guy)...And Kapersky has form dealing with that kind of ransom as well.
How do you justify saying no internet connection needed in the title? It looks like the malware would most likely be contracted online and the ransom payoff would be done online just like its predecessors in the field of malicious encryption. Was 'No C&C server needed' not good enough clickbait?
"It looks like the malware would most likely be contracted online and the ransom payoff would be done online just like its predecessors"
I don't think you are getting the point.
With this method, the miscreants control the business through free, temporary and totally* anonymous -even for state agents!- email accounts. They can request ransom in BTC just like everyone else.
And there are no servers to be seized to recover the keys/help identify the miscreants..
Note* With the help of the TOR network or similar.
This post has been deleted by its author