CryptMix Ransomware Claims to Give Money to Children's Charity Organization

The evolution of ransomware is a never-ending situation as we see new threats unleashed just about every day now. New to the ransomware scene is CryptMix Ransomware, a threat that combines CryptXXX and CryptoWall Ransomware but touts a softer side by claiming it gives money to a children's charity organization.

The researchers at Heimdal Security discovered the CryptMix Ransomware in the past few days. From the looks of CryptMix Ransomware's actions, it appears to have the same methods of encrypting files and offering a decryption process by paying 5 Bitcoin, which equates to about $2,200. The caveat in the deal is that CryptMix Ransomware alleges that the ransom fee will go to a children's charity organization.

In what appears to be an attempt to play on the soft side of victimized computer users, CryptMix Ransomware offers to send the random fee to decrypt files on an infected computer to a children's charity organization. Afterward, the threat will go on to threaten the user that the ransom sum will double within the next 24 hours if it is not paid right away. To further entice the so-called "deal," CryptMix Ransomware will eventually offer three years of free tech support.

Computer security researchers along with our very own malware research have discovered that CryptMix Ransomware offers no viable path to decrypting files. Moreover, CryptMix Ransomware in no way send the random fee to a children's charity organization, let alone offer any type of free technical support deal.

Through the use of aggressive and undefeatable RS-2048 encryption algorithm, CryptMix Ransomware encrypts files but does not allow those files to be restored unless a computer user has a backup of their hard drive handy. Much like its predecessor threats CryptXXX and CryptoWall in its latest 4.0 version, CryptMix Ransomware is prone to displaying a notification offering email addresses to contact for obtaining a decryption key for restoring encrypted files. Where CryptMix Ransomware starts to sway from its traditional ransomware roots, apart from its offer to send your paid ransom fee to a children's charity and offer free tech support, CryptMix Ransomware asks for an excessive ransom fee.

Traditionally, crypto-ransomware threats are apt to asking for hundreds of dollars instead of thousands. In the case of CryptMix Ransomware, it takes a rather aggressive approach, which leads us to believe that new ransomware threats are exploring and testing the waters on how far they can push the envelope. In other words, the authors of CryptMix Ransomware and other newer ransomware threats are testing victims to see how much they are willing to pay to restore encrypted files on top of playing with their emotions by sweetening the so-called deal by offering the money to a charity and a an alleged free tech support service.

One of the major flaws with the supposed test that CryptMix Ransomware brings about for its creators is the idea that by spending the $2,200 in Bitcoin still won't decrypt the files. The ending gratification from victimized computer users is absent due to this very fact. Though, to the benefit of CryptMix Ransomware's authors, is that those that pay the money will vilify the success of their "test."

For now, computer users will need to factor in the idea that they should never give into the demands of ransomware due to new threats like CryptMix Ransomware failing to provide a decryption method to restore encrypted files.