This ransomware will share your browser history with friends

A different form of ransomware, LeakerLocker threatens to humiliate you. But it's only on Android.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News

Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.

Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials

SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.

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Roger Cheng

July 11, 2017 9:46 a.m. PT

This is a different kind of ransomware attack.
Getty Images

The ransomware epidemic continues.

Security firm McAfee discovered the latest attack, called LeakerLocker, which affects Android phones through apps downloaded from the Google Play store.

Most ransomware locks up your files or hard drive, but LeakerLocker takes your private data and browsing history and threatens to share it with the friends and family on your contact list if you don't pay $50.

McAfee identified two apps in the Google Play store that carry LeakerLocker: Wallpapers Blur HD and Booster & Cleaner Pro.

Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.