Security experts from the ESET company warned against another dangerous infection data encryption data scrambling virus, known as DoubleLocker.

According to the researches the virus is distributed mostly as a fake Adobe Flash Player through compromised websites and is especially dangerous for the Android smartphone users.

After installation DoubleLocker changes the device’s PIN, preventing victims from accessing their devices, and also encrypts the data using AES algorithm. Shortly after the victim is informed that in order to retain the data, he or she must pay a ransom (of approximately 300 PLN) via bitcoin payment system. However, ESET experts advise against paying any money, as there is no guarantee of obtaining a decryption key.

In situation like this, the victims can restore their phones to factory settings (and lose all the personal data in the process) or follow the advice of experts and try to delete the file that stores the PIN code.