CTB Locker is like a sneaky digital burglar that broke into the online scene in 2014. It’s a type of ransomware that locks up your precious files and demands a ransom to set them free. Imagine it as a three-headed monster: Curve, Tor, and Bitcoin. Curve represents its tough encryption, using fancy math (elliptic curves) to create a unique key for each victim. Tor is the secret hideout where the baddies hang out, making it super hard to catch them. And Bitcoin? That’s their favorite currency, keeping their tracks hidden from nosy payment systems.

This cyber-nuisance went viral thanks to its multilingual skills and a clever trick: offering a slice of the ransom pie to anyone who helped spread the infection. It hitched a ride on spam emails and quickly became a headache for internet-savvy business owners.