A new type of ransomware called Fatboy-ransomware has been sighted, which operates in a slightly different manner when compared to ‘normal’ variants.

Instead of presenting a fixed amount which has to be paid by the victim, the Fatboy-ransomware decides its price by looking at the standard cost of living of the target’s country. By using the so-called Big Mac Index, the hacker can identify how much one of the famous burgers of McDonalds costs in the victims vicinity and then adjust his price to the present standard of living. This would mean that residents of Switzerland could get the most expensive bill, whereas the citizens of Egypt would pay the absolute least amount of money.

This ‘Ransomware as a Service, or RaaS, is also open for use by the less tech-savvy hackers, meaning one could start a partnership with the developer to both earn a sizeable amount from their victims as the money is divided between user and distributor.