Esmeralda Ransomware

Posted: November 1, 2016

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:	2/10
Infected PCs:	119

First Seen:	November 1, 2016
Last Seen:	May 19, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Esmeralda Ransomware is a Trojan that encrypts the contents of your hard drive, excluding the operating system, and, then, displays a fake Windows error asking you to contact an e-mail address for assistance. These e-mail messages almost always are used for ransom demands, which may or may not be followed by any provision of the promised decryption help. Your anti-malware software should be able to remove the Esmeralda Ransomware before or after the encryption process, although decryption for free currently is impossible.

Coming Back to the End of the World Again

The Apocalypse Ransomware is an independent, 2016 Trojan that is noteworthy predominantly for the undiscriminating way it implements its file-encrypting attacks, which have the potential for damaging most software and data on any given hard drive. While malware experts see no new development on the Apocalypse Ransomware, its authors appear to have shifted to a new 'brand' using most of the same code, in the form of the Esmeralda Ransomware. Besides sharing most of the traits of its predecessor, the Esmeralda Ransomware also includes new encryption protection, making it impossible for third parties to decrypt it.

The Esmeralda Ransomware continues using the Apocalypse Ransomware's trick of disguising itself as a part of the Windows operating system while it encrypts the files on your PC. The Trojan also carries this pretense one step further than the other threat, by using an extortion preamble message implying that its threat actor is a Microsoft support technician able to help restore your computer. It makes no reference to the inevitable ransom demand. The Esmeralda Ransomware also locks the user out of their desktop UI, in addition to potentially encrypting other, installed programs and blocking most files.

Toning the End of Times Down a Notch

Malware experts can verify the Esmeralda Ransomware not using network communications to any meaningful degree, which rules out the possibility of its downloading other threats or enabling further backdoor attacks. However, the Esmeralda Ransomware's payload, with no support from other threats, can encrypt and block of the contents of a compromised drive, and keep a victim from accessing other programs needed for resolving the security breach. Recovering from an Esmeralda Ransomware infection will require using alternate boot methods, such as Safe Mode typically.

Most Windows owners should be aware that Microsoft doesn't use personal e-mail addresses for promoting its technical support, nor does the company offer live decryption services. With threats like the Esmeralda Ransomware, which guard themselves against decoding efforts from third parties, the presence of a backup in a secure location is increasingly critical. Deleting the Esmeralda Ransomware through appropriate anti-malware products will not restore any encrypted data, which requires a decryption key that malware experts deem as untraceable.

With the Esmeralda Ransomware verifiable by multiple sources as being in live deployment, PC users should continue staying cautious about what kinds of files from suspicious sources that they open, or their saved work may be the next victim of the Esmeralda Ransomware's form of digital Armageddon.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

ellernodde.com