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Resurgence of Ransomware Threats
- 3. Your speakers today Nick Bilogorskiy @belogor Director of Security Research Marci Kusanovich Marketing Communications Manager
- 4. Agenda o History of Digital Extortion o Cryptolocker, Cryptowall, Locky o How Ransomware works o Tips to protect yourself o Wrap-up and Q&A CyphortLabsT-shirt
- 5. Housekeeping • You are on mute • Enter questions • Can order t-shirt
- 6. Threat Monitoring & Research team ________ 24X7 monitoring for malware events ________ Assist customers with their Forensics and Incident Response We enhance malware detection accuracy ________ False positives/negatives ________ Deep-dive research We work with the security ecosystem ________ Contribute to and learn from malware KB ________ Best of 3rd Party threat data
- 7. What is Ransomware Ransomware is any malware that demands the user pay a ransom. There are two types of ransomware: lockers and crypters.
- 8. Kovter
- 9. o More IOT (Internet Of Things) security incidents Prediction #4
- 10. • easy to use, • fast, • publicly available, • decentralized, and • Provides anonymity, which serves to encourage extortion. Bitcoin Primer
- 11. The Ransomware Business Model o Data Theft in place o Anonymity (TOR, Bitcoin) o Operating with impunity in Eastern Europe o Extortion o Focus on ease of use to maximize conversion o Currently 50% pay the ransom, it was 41% 2 years ago
- 12. z Bitcoin Ransom Sent C&C Server Private Key Sent Locked Files Unlocked Files The Ransomware Business Model
- 13. HOSPITALS Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center , Kentucky Methodist Hospital, Alvarado Hospital Medical Center and King's Daughters' Health, Kentucky Methodist Hospital, Chino Valley Medical Center and Desert Valley Hospital, Baltimore’s Union Memorial Hospital, and many others POLICE Tewksbury Police Department Swansea Police Department Chicago suburb of Midlothian Dickson County, Tennessee Durham, N.H Plainfield, N.J Collinsville, Alabama, hackers in Detroit demanded $800,000 in bitcoin after they had encrypted the city's database. Known Victims… So far SCHOOLS GOVERNMENT 321 incident reports of "ransomware-related activity" affecting 29 different federal networks since June 2015, according to the Department of Homeland Security. South Carolina school district paid $10,000 . A New Jersey school district was hit, holding up the computerized PARCC exams. Follett Learning's Destiny library management software, which is used in US schools is vulnerable to SamSam ransomware.
- 15. Google Trends: “ransomware” search interest 20 100 10 Stats 500% growth last year
- 16. Ransomware: The Price You Pay 2014 - $24 M. | 2015 - $24 M. | 2016 - $209 M in Q1
- 17. o network mitigation o network countermeasures o loss of productivity o legal fees o IT services o purchase of credit monitoring services for employees or customers o Potential harm to an organization’s reputation. Ransomware: Additional Costs
- 18. Ransomware poses a threat “to everyday Americans, law enforcement, government agencies and infrastructure, and sectors of our economy like healthcare and financial services.” – Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) “I am concerned that by hospitals paying these ransoms, we are creating a perverse incentive for hackers to continue these dangerous attacks” –Senator Barbara Boxer
- 19. Ransomware Resurgence Timeline: Explosion of Variants in 2016 Endgame
- 21. What is Cryptolocker? o Began September 2013 o Encrypts victim’s files, asks for $300 ransom o Impossible to recover files without a key o Ransom increases after deadline o Goal is monetary via Bitcoin o 250,000+ victims worldwide (According to Secureworks)
- 22. Cryptolocker Mastermind According to the FBI, losses are “more than $100 million.” Image source: FBI
- 23. Attribution Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev, 30, of Anapa, Russia. nickname “Slavik” ,indicted for conspiracy, computer hacking, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering . Bogachev is identified as a leader of a cyber gang of criminals based in Russia and Ukraine that is responsible both GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker.
- 25. Cryptodefense aka Cryptowall o Cryptodefense is a newer variant of Cryptolocker. o appeared in Feb 2014 o no GUI o pops up a webpage, drops text file o Uses TOR for anonymous payments
- 27. Locky o Installed by Dridex gang o Word documents with macros over email o Also used JavaScript, Powershell o over 400,000 victims in hours Palo Alto Networks Unit 42
- 28. o First seen: Nov 2014, new versions throught 2015 o Target: North American and European Banks o Distribution: Spam mails with Word Documents o Some version use p2p over http for carrying out botnet communication o Uses web injects to carry out man- in-browser attack, Uses VNC Dridex Gang
- 30. G
- 31. KeRanger o First ransomware on OS X o Appeared in March 2016 o 1BTC - $400 ransom o Signed! o Infected Transmission BitTorrent client installer
- 32. I
- 33. Android SimpleLocker May 2014 – Simplelocker appears in Ukraine - Asks for $22 USD using Monexy - Uses TOR for C&C Checks SD card for: jpeg, jpg, png, bmp, gif, pdf, doc, docx, txt, avi, mkv, 3gp, mp4 Unlike Cryptolocker, Encryption key is hardcoded on the malware. Encrypted files are appended with “.enc”.
- 34. 2016 Ransomware tricks o Encrypting the whole drive (Petya) o Encrypting network drives o Deleting cloud backups o Encrypting web servers (Kimcilware) o Ransomware as a Service (RAAS)
- 35. How do Users get Ransomware? Osterman research
- 36. Tips to Avoid Ransomware Infection o Install the latest patches for your software, especially Adobe, Microsoft and Oracle apps o Use network protection o Use a comprehensive endpoint security solution with behavioral detection o Turn Windows User Access Control on
- 37. Tips to Avoid Ransomware Infection o Be skeptical: Don’t click on anything suspicious o Block popups and use an ad-blocker o Override your browser’s user-agent* o Consider Microsoft Office viewers
- 38. Tips to Avoid Ransomware Infection o Be skeptical: Don’t click on anything suspicious o Block popups and use an ad-blocker o Override your browser’s user-agent* o Consider Microsoft Office viewers
- 39. On a Mac - RansomWhere
- 40. Tips to Avoid Ransomware Infection o Identify Ransomware and look for a decryptor: o Shadow Copies o Turn off computer at first signs of infection o Remember: the only effective ransomware defense is backup https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/
- 41. Tips to Avoid Ransomware Infection o List of free decryptors: http://bit.ly/decryptors
- 42. Summary 1. Ransomware evolved into a major threat allowing criminals to easily monetize malware infections via Bitcoin 2. Every platform is vulnerable to ransomware. 3. Due to current geopolitical situation, Eastern European attackers will likely continue the barrage against US businesses and individuals while enjoying safe haven in their home country. 4. Backup your files! Since decrypting encrypted files is not always possible frequent backups become even more critical. And keep your backup offline.
- 43. Q&A Thank You! Twitter: @belogor Previous MMW slides on http://cyphort.com/labs/ malwares-wanted/
Hinweis der Redaktion
- Question 1 – how do they delete backup Questino 2- how does bitcoin work
- But First, let me introduce our team – Cyphort Labs. We are a group of malware researchers in several countries who monitor malware and security trends daily, reverse engineer interesting malware samples and contribute to the Cyphort threat research. In addition our team deals with customer escalations -analyzing malware escalated by the support team, advising Cyphort engineering team on improving detection, and sharing threat intelligence on Cyphort Labs blog. For example, check out our post from Jan 4 on Radamant Ransomware distributed via Rig EK.. . You can find our blog at www.cyphort.com/blog
- type of malware that restricts access to the infected computer system in some way, and demands that the user pay a ransom to the malware operators to remove the restriction
- Lockers vs Cryptoware During 2013, Kovter acted as a police ransomware –remaining on the device, listening to the user’s traffic, “waiting” for something to happen. Once a user enters their account credentials or uses file sharing applications to download unsolicited files, Kovter pops up a message stating the user violated the law, demanding they pay a fine Joseph Edwards, 17, who hanged himself after receiving a scam e-mail which he believed was from the police and referred to indecent photos. A schoolboy hanged himself after receiving a bogus "police" email which claimed he had been looking at illegal websites and had to pay £100 or face being prosecuted. A-level student Joseph Edwards suffered from autism which probably made him more susceptible to believing the scam was genuine, a coroner heard on Thursday. The 17-year-old was found hanged at his home by his mother who has since launched a campaign to make children more aware of the dangers from internet scams, many of which originate from abroad.
- In 2015, we saw widespread infections from ransomware, which encrypt files and demand a ransom for their safe return. In June, the FBI said it received 992 CryptoWall-related complaints in the preceding year, with losses totaling more than $18 million. Attackers will continue to deploy ransomware for financial gain, and they will get more specialized. Ransomware is frequently installed through driveby exploits on compromised websites , for example Angler kit installed Cryptowall and Cryptolocker In November Russian antivirus firm DrWeb discovered a Linux version of ransomware, that locks the files on the website. Typically, the malware is injected into Web sites via known vulnerabilities in site plugins or third-party software — such as shopping cart programs. Once on a host machine, the malware will encrypt all of the files in the “home” directories on the system, as well backup directories and most of the system folders typically associated with Web site files, images, pages, code libraries and scripts. To obtain the private key and php script for this computer, which will automatically decrypt files, you need to pay 1 bitcoin(s) (~420 USD),” the warning read. “Without this key, you will never be able to get your original files back. http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/11/ransomware-now-gunning-for-your-web-sites/ Medical record is worth 10x more than a credit card*.
- Prior to Bitcoin’s rise in popularity, the principal way that attackers extracted their ransom was by instructing victims to pay by wire transfer or reloadable prepaid debit cards — principally Greendot cards sold at retailers, convenience stores and pharmacies. But unlike Bitcoin payments, these methods of cashing out are easily traceable if cashed out in within the United States, the ICSI’s Weaver said. “Bitcoin is their best available tool if in they’re located in the United States,” Weaver said of extortionists. “Western Union can be traced at U.S. cashout locations, as can Greendot payments. Which means you either need an overseas partner [who takes half of the profit for his trouble] or Bitcoin.” Criminals prefer Bitcoin because it’s easy to use, fast, publicly available, decentralized, and provides a sense of heightened security/anonymity. What is Bitcoin? Since anything digital can be copied over and over again, the hard part about implementing a digital payment system is making sure that nobody spends the same money more than once. Traditionally, this is done by having a trusted central authority (like PayPal) that verifies all of the transactions. The core innovation that makes Bitcoin special is that it uses consensus in a massive peer-to-peer network to verify transactions. This results in a system where payments are non-reversible, accounts cannot be frozen, and transaction fees are much lower. Where do bitcoins come from? We go more in-depth about this on the page about mining, but here’s a very simple explanation: Some users put their computers to work verifying transactions in the peer-to-peer network mentioned above. These users are rewarded with new bitcoins proportional to the amount of computing power they donate to the network. Who controls Bitcoin? As we mentioned above, there is no central person or central authority in charge of Bitcoin. Various programmers donate their time developing the open source Bitcoin software and can make changes subject to the approval of lead developer Gavin Andresen. The individual minersthen choose whether to install the new version of the software or stick to the old one, essentially “voting” with their processing power. It is in the miners’ best interest to only accept changes that are good for the Bitcoin currency in the long run. These checks and balances make it difficult for anyone to manipulate Bitcoin. How to get started with Bitcoin The best way to learn about Bitcoin is to get some and experiment. We have written articles about how to set up your own Bitcoin wallet, how to acquire bitcoins, and how to use bitcoins to help you get going. We have also written about a number of other Bitcoin topics if you prefer a hands-off approach to learning. If your questions remain unanswered, please contact us and ask us anything you like.
- it’s a very successful criminal business model with many copycats. this is just one of the findings of Ransomware. A Victim’s Perspective: A study on US and European Internet Users (PDF), a report conducted by Bitdefender in November of last year.
- In a recent high-profile case, the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center declared an internal emergency after suffering on outbreak of ransomware. Ultimately, this hospital decided to ante up the required Bitcoin ransom payment, handing over $17,000 in order to get access to its computers. The original ransom demand was for $3.7 million in Bitcoins, so if nothing else, that is some decent negotiating on the part of the hospital.
- how much money $24 million in hostage payments according to FBi. But experts say those figures are dwarfed by the actual payments, which likely exceed half a billion dollars per year. 24million < x < 500million cryptowall alone is $325 million (400,000 payments) according to CTA report: http://www.coindesk.com/cryptowall-325-million-bitcoin-ransom/ The financial impact to victims goes beyond the ransom fee itself, which is typically between $200 and $10,000. Many victims incur additional costs associated with network mitigation, network countermeasures, loss of productivity, legal fees, IT services, and/or the purchase of credit monitoring services for employees or customers Cyber-criminals collected $209 million in the first three months of 2016 by extorting businesses and institutions to unlock computer servers. At that rate, ransomware is on pace to be a $1 billion a year crime this year. The FBI told CNN that the number "is quite high" because a few people "reported large losses." 2014 - 25M 2015 - 25M 2016 - 1000M (estimate)
- This year i have seen more new ransomware this year than in all of previous years combined. 2005 - PGPCoder Trojan – 1024 RSA key, collects money via EGOLD 2009 Bitcoin was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto 2012 Reveton Trojan, aka Police Trojan. collects money via Moneypak 2013 BitCoin becomes popular, Cryptolocker appears The very first known piece of ransomware was the AIDS Trojan (also called PC Cyborg). The AIDS trojan was spread via floppy disks, and was activated when the infected computer had restarted 90 times. On the 90th boot, the trojan replaced the computer’s autoexec.bat and then hid directories and encrypted filenames. The victim was required to send payment of 189 USD via mail to “PC Cyborg Corporation”, which operated out of a PO Box in Panama. We first saw modern ransomware in 2005, when gpCode (also called PGPCoder) emerged. MS Office files like Excel spreadsheets and Word documents, HTML files, pictures, and compressed archives like zip files were targeted by gpCode and were encrypted. The only way for the victim to get their files back was to pay a ransom to an account on the now-defunct e-gold and Liberty Reserve online currencies. In the case of gpCode though, there were many weaknesses allowing victims to recover their files without paying the ransom. After gpCode, a new breed of malware emerged - the “Police” malware. Once infected, your machine is typically “locked” was locked and an alert was showin informing you the “FBI” have detected illegal activity on your computer - illicit downloading or filesharing, child pornography or other distasteful and potentially illegal activities - and you must pay the FBI a “fine” in order to get control of your computer back. Typically these kinds of malware required you to head down to your local retailer or grocer and obtain a pre-paid credit card, commonly the easy to use Green Dot MoneyPak, and pay for the “fine” that way. http://blog.fortinet.com/Derek-Manky-Talks-BadBIOS-and-Cryptolocker---Network-World-Podcast/
- So, now lets talk about the most famous crypto ransomware, known as Cryptolocker. Ransom Cryptolocker is ransomware that on execution locks the user's system thereby leaving the system in an unusable state. It also encrypts the list of file types present in the user’s system. The compromised user has to pay the attacker with ransom to unlock the system and to get the files decrypted.
- Malware first appeared September 2013 Encrypts computer files of its victims and forces them to pay hundreds of dollars to unlock. If the victim does not pay the ransom, it is impossible to recover the files, due to the key length of Cryptolocker To recover the files past the deadline, the price usually doubles or triples. More than 250,000+ victims, mostly in USA and UK
- Russian Evgeniy Bogachev, aka "lucky12345" and "slavik", was charged by the US FBI of being the ringleader of the gang behind Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker. CryptoLocker was isolated in late-May 2014 via Operation Tovar—which took down the Gameover ZeuS botnetthat had been used to distribute the malware. During the operation, a security firm involved in the process obtained the database of private keys used by CryptoLocker, which was in turn used to build an online tool for recovering the keys and files without paying the ransom. It is believed that the operators of CryptoLocker successfully extorted a total of around $3 million from victims of the trojan https://www.decryptcryptolocker.com/ - Aug 2014 - now decomissioned.
- FBI’s Washington Field Office, in coordination with law enforcement counterparts from Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
- In a little more than a year, consumers affected by the Cryptowall ransomware have reported to the FBI more than $18 million in losses related to infections from the malware. Cryptowall is among the group of ransomware families that encrypt the files on victims’ computers and then demands a ransom in order to obtain the decryption key. The infections typically begin with either a phishing email or when the victim goes to a site hosting an exploit kit. Some of the infections rely on exploiting vulnerabilities in software on users’ machines, but just as often the malware is delivered when a user clicks on a malicious link and downloads the malware. The Cryptowall family has gone through a number of iterations during its roughly 16-month lifespan. One of the key change the attackers behind this malware have made is the use of Tor in order to hide its command-and-control infrastructure. Other ransomware, such as Critroni, have employed the same tactic. Ransomware typically demands that users pay ransom in Bitcoin or other electronic payment method, and the FBI said in an alert issued Tuesday that the financial effect on victims has been extensive. “CryptoWall and its variants have been used actively to target U.S. victims since April 2014. The financial impact to victims goes beyond the ransom fee itself, which is typically between $200 and $10,000,” the alert from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center says. - See more at: https://threatpost.com/fbi-says-cryptowall-cost-victims-18-million-since-2014/113432#sthash.f9RvwR26.dpuf
- This variant no longer has a graphical user interface (GUI). Instead the malware will just open a webpage after encryption and leave a text file at every directory that was encrypted. The instructions to get the key to decrypt your files have you install anonymous tor or other layered encryption browsers so you can pay them directly and securely. TruthAboutGUns was infected with this on 2015-04-11 06:14:56 Cryptowall – ransomware Cryptodefense is a newer variant of Cryptolocker. appeared in Feb 2014 no GUI pops up a webpage, drops text file Uses TOR for anonymous payments The attachment is a ZIP file with the malware inside in an SCR executable format. This is a Cryptowall 3.0 variant. When executed, the malware spawns a new copy of explorer.exe, which in turn spawns an instance of svchost.exe, the Windows service host. The malware hooks svchost.exe and begins communicating with its command and control network. During this communication, the malware retrieves a PNG image , with four URLs; The URLs are the destination where victims may pay the ransom, and are using "Tor gateway" -- a Web proxy that obfuscates the location where the ransomware demand server is located. The ransomware drops the image in every directory that contains a file which has been encrypted by the malware.
- “Locky” feels like quite a cheery-sounding name. But it’s also the nickname of a new strain of ransomware, so-called because it renames all your important files so that they have the extension .locky. Of course, it doesn’t just rename your files, it scrambles them first, and – as you probably know about ransomware – only the crooks have the decryption key. You can buy the decryption key from the crooks via the so-called dark web. The prices we’ve seen vary from BTC 0.5 to BTC 1.00 (BTC is short for “bitcoin,” where one bitcoin is currently worth about $400/£280) Another ransomware which had great impact. The actors behind these are also actors behind the infamous Dridex. It arrives by mail and the attachment is a Word document with macros. Upon opening the document the macros infects the computer. It deletes any security copies that Windows has made and starts to encrypt the files. Once finished, it opens a file called “_Locky_recover_instructions.txt” in the notepad.
- http://www.wired.com/2016/03/hack-brief-ransomware-hits-mac-os-x-first-time/ http://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2016/03/new-os-x-ransomware-keranger-infected-transmission-bittorrent-client-installer/
- So, now lets talk about the most famous crypto ransomware, known as Cryptolocker. Ransom Cryptolocker is ransomware that on execution locks the user's system thereby leaving the system in an unusable state. It also encrypts the list of file types present in the user’s system. The compromised user has to pay the attacker with ransom to unlock the system and to get the files decrypted.
- encrypts network drives It used to be that the first versions of Cryptolocker were not smart enough to go after data on network drives and only inflicted unwanted encryption on files stored locally to a machine. This could still be paralyzing in some instances, but for medium to large businesses who stored the majority of their data on network shared drives and SANs or NASes, this provided a level of relief. That is sadly not the case anymore, because as the virus has grown more successful and more profitable to the writers, most of the ransomware variants can now traverse network drives and UNC paths, encrypting anything that they can actually touch and access with the level of permissions granted to the user account under which the malware is executing. The results, as you can tell from recent news reports about ransomware, can wreak havoc. they expanded from targeting users files on user computers to encrypting entire hard drives (Petya) and to targeting servers (RansomWeb, Kimcilware) it also goes from targeting individuals to businesses and the ransom increases (from roughly $500 per computer to $15,000 for the entire enterprise) new ransomware tricks Ransomware has evolved and new services, tactics, techniques have increased the stakes. In the past, backing up your data to cloud storage and file shares was safe. However, newer versions of ransomware have been able to traverse to those shared file systems making them susceptible to the attack. Another interesting aspect is the Ransomware as a Service model offered on underground networks such as Tor. This service model will provide the malicious code and infrastructure to facilitate the transfer of funds and the encryption key for the victim to be able to access their information.
- drive-bye's and email (ms office documents, and JS in ZIP) - Phishing emails may contain malicious attachments. These attachments are not always delivered in executable form; as security vendors and security best practices dictate that receiving executables via email is, in general, something we want to prevent, threat actors have to adapt to the changing landscape. This can be done by indirect delivery mechanisms. In Windows, for example, a malicious actor may opt for a less direct method of delivery: embed an obfuscated Javascript file into an archive, and rely on the end user for the rest. Opening a .JS file on a Windows host will launch the default browser, and the Javascript can then reach out to an external URL to grab an executable, deliver it to the victim, and execute it. At this point, preventing users from receiving executables via email is no longer effective, as the executable is delivered via HTTP. - Exploit kits (such as Angler, or Neutrino) have been known to deliver ransomware to users by exploiting vulnerable web servers and hosting malicious web scripts on them which exploit visitors when certain criteria are met, and then delivering a malicious payload (Reference)
- Always use antivirus software and a firewall. It's important to obtain and use antivirus software and firewalls from reputable companies. It's also important to continually maintain both of these through automatic updates. Enable popup blockers. Popups are regularly used by criminals to spread malicious software. To avoid accidental clicks on or within popups, it's best to prevent them from appearing in the first place. Always back up the content on your computer. If you back up, verify, and maintain offline copies of your personal and application data, ransomware scams will have limited impact on you. If you are targeted, instead of worrying about paying a ransom to get your data back, you can simply have your system wiped clean and then reload your files. The only effective ransomware defense is backup Be skeptical. Don’t click on any emails or attachments you don't recognize, and avoid suspicious websites altogether. Identify Ransomware and look for decryptor https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/ This service will only assess the ransom note, and encrypted files to determine the ransomware.
- Always use antivirus software and a firewall. It's important to obtain and use antivirus software and firewalls from reputable companies. It's also important to continually maintain both of these through automatic updates. Enable popup blockers. Popups are regularly used by criminals to spread malicious software. To avoid accidental clicks on or within popups, it's best to prevent them from appearing in the first place. Always back up the content on your computer. If you back up, verify, and maintain offline copies of your personal and application data, ransomware scams will have limited impact on you. If you are targeted, instead of worrying about paying a ransom to get your data back, you can simply have your system wiped clean and then reload your files. The only effective ransomware defense is backup Be skeptical. Don’t click on any emails or attachments you don't recognize, and avoid suspicious websites altogether. Identify Ransomware and look for decryptor https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/ This service will only assess the ransom note, and encrypted files to determine the ransomware.
- Always use antivirus software and a firewall. It's important to obtain and use antivirus software and firewalls from reputable companies. It's also important to continually maintain both of these through automatic updates. Enable popup blockers. Popups are regularly used by criminals to spread malicious software. To avoid accidental clicks on or within popups, it's best to prevent them from appearing in the first place. Always back up the content on your computer. If you back up, verify, and maintain offline copies of your personal and application data, ransomware scams will have limited impact on you. If you are targeted, instead of worrying about paying a ransom to get your data back, you can simply have your system wiped clean and then reload your files. The only effective ransomware defense is backup Be skeptical. Don’t click on any emails or attachments you don't recognize, and avoid suspicious websites altogether. Identify Ransomware and look for decryptor https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/ This service will only assess the ransom note, and encrypted files to determine the ransomware.
- RansomWhere? is a utility with a simple goal; generically thwart OS X ransomware. It does so by identifying a commonality of essentially all ransomware; the creation of encrypted files. Generally speaking, ransomware encrypts personal files on your computer, then demands payment (the ransom) in order for you to decrypt your files. If you fail to pay up, and don't have backups of your files, they may be lost forever - that sucks! This tool attempts to generically prevent this, by detecting untrusted processes that are encrypting your personal files. Once such a process is detected, RansomWhere? will stop the process in its tracks and present an alert to the user. If this suspected ransomware, is indeed malicious, the user can terminate the process. On the other hand, if its simply a false positive, the user can allow the process to continue executing. To install RansomWhere? and gain continual protection, first download the zip archive containing the application. Depending on your browser, you may need to manually unzip the application by double-clicking on the zipped archive:
- Locky also removes any Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) files, also known asshadow copies, that you may have made. Shadow copies are the Windows way of making live backup snapshots without having to stop working – you don’t need to logout or even close your applications first – so they are a quick and popular alternative to a proper backup procedure. Shadow Copies Sometimes crypto ransomware can have weaknesses in their implementation which could allow victims to recover at least some of their files without paying. For example, Windows can be set up to make recovery points at regular intervals. These backups are called shadow copies. If this service is enabled and if a crypto ransomware does not interfere with this feature, it may be possible recover some files using this method. This blog details various Windows tools that can be useful to aid recovery in case of a crypto ransomware attack. File recovery software Another point worth noting is that when a file is deleted in Windows, the contents of the file are not usually scrubbed from the physical disk itself. Instead, the entries defining the file are removed from the disk allocation tables, freeing up the space. The original data in the freed space is not overwritten until a new file is written to the same space on the disk. This makes it possible to recover delete files if the disk space has not already been overwritten by another file. Victims can use file recovery software such as PhotoRec to scan for deleted files and recover them. No bullet-proof solution It should be noted that the more advanced crypto ransomware groups are aware of these techniques and take steps to prevent their successful use. As a result, some crypto ransomware threats delete shadow copies to prevent victims from being able to recover files. Similarly, other crypto ransomware threats such as Trojan. Ransomcrypt.R use a secure deletion tools such as SDelete to ensure that original files are securely erased from the disk after encryption. In this situation, the only answer is to have a backup of the files as there is no practical way for the files to be recovered or decrypted without the right key.
- The business of backing up data will thrive because of recent high-profile ransomware attacks