BlockFile12 Ransomware

Posted: May 16, 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:	157

First Seen:	May 16, 2017
Last Seen:	June 19, 2022
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The BlockFile12 Ransomware is a Trojan that encrypts your files in an attempt to extort money by selling the file-unlocking solution to you. However, current versions of the BlockFile12 Ransomware also encode their ransom notes, making them illegible. Users should keep backups of any files they can't afford to lose to these attacks and have anti-malware products for detecting and deleting the BlockFile12 Ransomware preemptively.

One Trojan's Blunders in Cyber Ransom Negotiations

File-encrypting Trojans are popular products in the black market for threatening software as a result of their capabilities of causing widespread data loss quickly and easily. However, if not wielded with care, those same attacks can have undesirable results, even for the people deploying the Trojan: such as damaging the PC's operating system or, in the case of the BlockFile12 Ransomware, encoding your ransom note. In spite of its significant encryption issues, malware analysts are confirming the BlockFile12 Ransomware's deployment against live targets.

The initial introduction of the BlockFile12 Ransomware to other PCs has strong connections to the presence of Trojans that can give remote system access to the threat actor, such as Backdoor.Ratenjay (njRAT). This Trojan may see introduction through brute-force attacks or e-mail spam attachments. After gaining control, the remote attacker launches the BlockFile12 Ransomware to encrypt various file formats.

Ironically, in addition to blocking the victim's media with its enciphering routine, the BlockFile12 Ransomware also encodes its ransoming message. In more ordinarily payloads, this note delivers recommendations on paying cryptocurrencies or other forms of non-refundable cash in return for getting access to the con artist's decryption help. Until then, the files the Trojan attacks are unusable.

Blocking a Trojan Campaign with a Self-Defeating Feature

The BlockFile12 Ransomware may be depriving its author of any illicit income, but this dilemma, arguably, is even worse than the traditional one put to the victims of file-encrypting Trojans' infections. Since there's no available information on gaining decryption access, any PC users without a secure backup will need to hope that third-party security researchers will be able to develop a freeware decryptor. Malware experts personally advise backing up to external systems or devices as the easiest option for saving your files from potentially permanent encryption.

A system encrypted by the BlockFile12 Ransomware threat may or may not have the Trojan present afterward. Malware experts are seeing some attacks where the threat actor runs the BlockFile12 Ransomware without leaving it on the PC as a persistent threat. However, the presence of Backdoor.Ratenjay (njRAT) or another backdoor Trojan is highly likely a critical security risk. Whether you try to recover your files or leave them locked, always use dedicated anti-malware software to scan the compromised computer and remove the BlockFile12 Ransomware and all other threats related to it.

Like a snake biting its tail, the BlockFile12 Ransomware's attacks are so indiscriminate that they hurt its campaign just as much as the victim. However, that problem is unlikely of being any comfort to anyone with permanently encrypted files.

BlockFile12 Ransomware

Threat Metric

One Trojan's Blunders in Cyber Ransom Negotiations

Blocking a Trojan Campaign with a Self-Defeating Feature

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