by Charles Miller

Months ago a reader wrote to me asking, "What is a script kitty?" I responded to that question privately via email because at the time it did not seem to me that the subject of "script kiddies" was of enough general interest to warrant mentioning here in this column. The term script kitty or kiddie is a somewhat derogatory term used by tech professionals to describe individuals who lack advanced programming skills but still know enough to be dangerous. They are typically inexperienced hackers who copy or modify existing scripts (snippets of computer software source code) without fully understanding how things work. Keep that thought and I will circle back to it in due course.

In 2007, Microsoft began providing its Windows users a new feature; BitLocker encryption software. Built into Windows, BitLocker is a state-of-the-art encryption system that employs cutting-edge cryptography techniques to provide users with the best protection for securing sensitive personal information. Properly implemented, BitLocker provides airtight protection that is virtually unhackable and unbreakable. BitLocker was originally available only for the Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows, however; starting with Windows 11 the Home edition that most users have now includes a feature called "Device Encryption" to provide encryption functionality similar to BitLocker sans some advanced management options. It was nice of Microsoft to make such a high-quality feature available at no extra cost, and available to everyone… including, unfortunately, cyber criminals.

Enter the script kiddies. It did not take long for the wannabe hackers to realize they did not need to be expert computer coders in order to write some nasty ransomware that could securely encrypt a victim's files. Microsoft had done all the hard work of creating an unbreakable encryption system and providing it with every copy of Windows 11. All the script kiddies had to do was to find a way to activate that Device Encryption on a victim's computer, and then demand a ransom of hundreds or thousands of dollars to give the victims the password needed to unlock their files. The scam was often initiated by tricking some unsuspecting user to click on a link in an email.

This scam (along with pop-up notification scam messages) is part of a troubling trend that has cybercrooks using, or rather abusing, apps that are a part of the computer Operating System and thus found on almost all computers. And of course this means these scams cannot be detected by a virus or malware scan because the programs that are being misused are supposed to be there.

BitLocker and Device Encryption now hang like a sword of Damocles over many Windows users because like so many component parts of Widows, it cannot be uninstalled. There are several configuration changes that can be made to Windows to deactivate BitLocker or Device Encryption and make it difficult to reactivate. That is probably enough to frustrate most of the script kiddies. Making the changes to disable Windows encryptions involves using three of the Microsoft administrator's utilities; PowerShell, Group Policy Editor, and Windows Registry Editor. Incorrectly using any of these powerful utilities can render a computer unusable, so doing the necessary changes is a job best left to an experienced professional.

Another defensive measure anyone can do and that might even be better is to make regular backups of all your important data. When you have up-to-date backups you will not have to pay the script kiddies an exorbitant ransom to get your files back should you ever fall victim to a ransomware attack.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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