Nile Ransomware

The Nile Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that's part of the STOP Ransomware family's Ransomware-as-a-Service. The Nile Ransomware disguises itself as a randomly-named temporary file while blocking the user's media files with encryption. A secure backup will assist the recovery of any data significantly, and professional anti-malware tools will block this threat or remove the Nile Ransomware installations.

A Trip on a River with Greed-Poisoned Waters

Proving its long-term success in the Black Market by renting itself out to other criminals without any interest in programming, STOP Ransomware is one of the greatest Ransomware-as-a-Services still active. With no slowdowns in the current year, malware researchers catalog new variants of it, such as the Nile Ransomware routinely – one of the few with a seemingly-meaningful name. Although the Egyptian river theme is a possible misdirection, the Nile Ransomware has many features in-hand that prove as deadly to files as the river's seasonal flooding is to anything near its shores.

The Nile Ransomware is a Windows program and is compatible with most versions of that OS. Its family's most-renowned feature is the encryption routine: a dedicated, file-locking attack that uses AES encryption for stopping documents, pictures, music, databases, slideshows and other media from opening. It can secure this 'lock' with an RSA key that it downloads or use a default one, otherwise.

The value of a backup is inestimable in the Nile Ransomware infections, like other ones from the STOP Ransomware RaaS. Since the Nile Ransomware can delete the Shadow Volume Copy or the Restore Point-style backups, users have limited, local recovery options. There also are no weaknesses in its encryption, in most infections, and paying the ransom from its text note doesn't guarantee any help from the threat actor.

Seeing the Consistency in Temporary Trojans

Ransomware-as-a-Services can be tradition-oriented, and the Nile Ransomware shows several leanings towards the same predisposition. For example, all samples so far are using fake 'TMP' extensions with random names (such as 'E191' or '3f6c'). Users who enable visible extensions can see the 'exe' or executable extension that follows the 'tmp' portion of its name and take notice of the format tactic. Malware researchers recommend avoiding generally-threatening content, such as illicit torrents, unofficial update prompts and document macros.

The Nile Ransomware has few symptomatic differences from its close kin, including a list of dozens to hundreds. Other examples for comparison might include the Maas Ransomware, the Myskle Ransomware, the Npsg Ransomware or the Zida Ransomware. In most cases, users' best protection is an offsite backup. There also is some danger of the Nile Ransomware's family conducting additional attacks, such as collecting passwords with spyware or blocking websites by changing the Hosts file.

An effective and updated anti-malware program will alleviate most of these issues and remove the Nile Ransomware from an infected computer safely. Disinfection isn't the same as encryption, though, and any encrypted files still are locked.

The Nile Ransomware is excellent proof of the steadiness and consistency behind even illegal businesses. A Ransomware-as-a-Service doesn't require change until its victims adapt their security habits, which is the best defense that anyone can put up against these Trojans.