Home Malware Programs Ransomware ‘.abc File Extension’ Ransomware

‘.abc File Extension’ Ransomware

Posted: January 22, 2016

Threat Metric

Threat Level: 8/10
Infected PCs: 96
First Seen: January 22, 2016
Last Seen: March 26, 2020
OS(es) Affected: Windows

The '.abc File Extension' Ransomware is a new variant of the TeslaCrypt Ransomware that modifies files through encryption, making them unusable, and asks for cash in exchange for providing a reversal of the file formatting attack. PC security experts have been deploying new decryptors for the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware and other TeslaCrypt Ransomware variants for free, and malware researchers also recognize most backup strategies as being effective against this threat. Before recovering your files, you also should uninstall the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware from your system with a dependable anti-malware scanner.

The Rise of the Alphabet Soup of Ransomware

The '.abc File Extension' Ransomware is part of a still-growing series of upgrades and deviations from TeslaCrypt Ransomware, possibly due to updates from its primary developers or modifications made by third party groups. All changes aside, the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware shows the same type of scam as other versions of its ancestor, which bases itself on encrypting your private files with a theoretically unbreakable AES algorithm and offering to sell you a decryption service. Files affected by the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware and related threats no longer can open with their associated apps.

Although the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware is most obviously identified by the '.abc' file extension the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware uses as a tag for its encrypted data, this extension choice is unrelated to the encryption process, and is strictly cosmetic in nature. Victims renaming the modified file extensions to their defaults will experience no changes in their inability to open the files. Some examples of similar threats related to the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware include the '.xyz File Extension' Ransomware , the '.exx File Extension' Ransomware and the '.ecc File Extension' Ransomwa, all of which use the same tactic.

The Trojan may implement a delivery method for its premium decryption ransom through multiple formats, including locking your desktop to a BMP image or depositing a TXT or HTML file in your folders. Some PC users also have experienced cases of the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware infections without the appearance of a ransom file, which most likely is an error on the part of the threat's author.

Pouring Trojan Soup Down the Drain

It may be natural to assume that all of the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware's updates limit themselves to superficial, trivial changes. However, its authors also made other changes to the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware, calling for additional protection to the custom string required for decrypting your files. Storing your information in a safe place, such as a cloud server, is an easy way to overcome the risks of most file-encrypting attacks. Disinfecting a compromised machine should take priority over preserving any local data on it. The '.abc File Extension' Ransomware makes Registry changes that can be difficult for casual users to remove and includes references to randomly-named files as concealment for its true identity. However, anti-malware programs that are using updated databases should be able to remove the '.abc File Extension' Ransomware without any significant problems, particularly since this threat has shown no greater efficiency at detection evasion.

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