'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware

Posted: April 3, 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:	262

First Seen:	April 3, 2017
Last Seen:	August 17, 2020
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware is an updated version of the Apocalypse Ransomware, a Trojan that encodes the files on your PC to force you into paying its ransom. The 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware also may cause symptoms including spontaneous system reboots, changes to filenames, pop-ups and being unable to access your desktop. You can protect your PC by keeping complete backups, monitoring your network settings and having anti-malware utilities able to remove the 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware when other threats install it.

The End of the World Gets a New Face

Although the Apocalypse Ransomware family has been less active than some competing families in the business of digital extortion, its threat actors haven't been sleeping. Recent versions of the Trojan include changes to their communication links, possibly as a result of legal authorities taking action and closing old, misused accounts. The 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware is one of the newest of these releases.

Major aspects of the 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware's payload haven't been overhauled comparative to the old Apocalypse Ransomware. The Trojan encrypts a range of content much larger than that of most competing file-encryptor Trojans, although it still excludes executable program files. Some of the secondary symptoms with malware experts' verification include:

Any encrypted and locked files also receive a renaming that changes the extension to one of the threat actor's choice (currently using: '.decrypted').
The infected PC is forced to reboot immediately after the encryption routine so that the 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware can load its last feature.
After the restart, the 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware launches a screen-locker pop-up that blocks your desktop, along with the rest of the Windows interface. Through these pop-ups, threat actors demand ransom payments to restore your files with their decryption solution.

Staving Off the Cyber-Apocalypse One More Time

As one of the many families of this threat's genre with histories of attacking the business sector, the 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware and the Apocalypse Ransomware often may circulate through Remote Desktop-targeting attacks. Most users should avoid being dependent on default Windows backups, but backing up your files to locations not accessible to the 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware's scans can give you a free and easy recovery strategy.

The 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware's encryption feature isn't necessarily perfect, and security researchers have released decryptors for old versions of this threat. Any victims with no other options can look for help from dedicated anti-malware researchers and verify or debunk any potential for free decryption. PCs protected with standard anti-malware software also may impede and remove the 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware before any encrypting attacks launch, although threat actors with RDP access could disable such tools beforehand.

The 'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware may be a new page for the Apocalypse Ransomware family's story but offers few plot twists. The lesson most readers can take from this update is that, just as threat actors work regularly to patch their Trojans, you should stay steadfast in maintaining your backup schedule.

'Crypt32@mail.ru' Ransomware

Threat Metric

The End of the World Gets a New Face

Staving Off the Cyber-Apocalypse One More Time

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