Erebus 2017 Ransomware

Posted: February 8, 2017

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Threat Level:	8/10
Infected PCs:	98

First Seen:	February 8, 2017
Last Seen:	June 16, 2022
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Erebus 2017 Ransomware is a Trojan that can use the AES encryption to block you from opening files of particular formats, such as documents or pictures. Threat actors are using the Erebus 2017 Ransomware to solicit ransoms through Bitcoin payments, after which they supposedly will give you services for recovering your data. As always, PC users keeping backups are less at risk of suffering long-term effects from these attacks, and dedicated anti-malware software can prevent them, by intercepting and deleting the Erebus 2017 Ransomware.

Hello Darkness, My Old Enemy

Alternately referred to in ancient folklore as either an underworld or a primordial god of the dark, Erebus now is being taken as the brand name for a new campaign involving holding its victims' files hostage for Bitcoins. The Erebus 2017 Ransomware has no known relatives and uses components, including ransoming messages, which it isn't borrowing from free resources or other projects. For the moment, malware experts have yet to determine its SOP for installing itself, although recreational and casual PC users are most likely of being the desired targets.

The Erebus 2017 Ransomware's installation uses a Windows exploit that allows it to bypass standard UAC prompts that request the user to grant the application elevated system privileges. A combination of Registry exploits and misapplied file names hijacks the Event Viewer into loading the Erebus 2017 Ransomware, which, then, connects to a network to coordinate the victim's information, such as the geographical region. More pertinently to its campaign's intentions, the Erebus 2017 Ransomware also begins scanning for files to encrypt.

Dozens of formats of data receive an AES algorithm-based enciphering, and their default extensions also are modified with an ROT-23 cipher. The Trojan leaves the non-extension portion of the name intact. Malware experts also verify the Erebus 2017 Ransomware's following the tradition of similar Trojans by attacking SVC backup data that could help a victim recover their files through Windows restore points.

Pulling Your Files Back out of the Dark

Post-attack, the Erebus 2017 Ransomware's symptoms are all but unmissable; the Trojan creates a highly-visible Readme file in HTML and also launches a pop-up notification automatically. Its threat actors are using a Tor-based Web network for collecting Bitcoin ransoms, supposedly for the purpose of selling their decryption solutions and helping you unlock your files. The associated text messages also include a time limit (currently four days) for purchasing the decryptor. However, the extortion messages aren't copy-pasted from old campaigns and are one of the several indicators that the Erebus 2017 Ransomware may be an entirely new Trojan coded by programmers with at least a bare minimum of experience.

Since malware researchers see threat actors taking payments and providing broken or nonexistent recovery services routinely, most PC users should consider storing backups in non-local drives for handicapping these attacks. The meager (under one hundred USD) fees the Erebus 2017 Ransomware demands also may be resultant of its remote attackers using distribution models orienting towards individual, casual PC users, such as freeware bundles or torrents. Most anti-malware products can protect your system from these distribution methods by deleting the Erebus 2017 Ransomware before its installation finalizes.

The Erebus 2017 Ransomware uses a semi-clever means of compromising Windows that takes advantage of security oversights inherent to the operating system. Although its ransoms aren't the highest malware experts are seeing, its methodology is a good indication of why Windows users need to continue backing up their data and updating their OS when applicable.

Erebus 2017 Ransomware

Threat Metric

Hello Darkness, My Old Enemy

Pulling Your Files Back out of the Dark

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