Cry Ransomware

The Cry Ransomware is a Trojan that uses encryption technology to attack and block your work or files. Although the Cry Ransomware attempts to force a ransom payment from the victim in return for helping to decrypt the affected content, malware experts don't recommend paying these fees, which are not necessarily reliable ways of recovering your data. Preventing the Cry Ransomware infections or removing them with anti-malware protection is, as always, the most convenient method of dealing with Trojans of this type.

Getting in Trouble with a Fake Arm of the Law

There often is more unpredictability in the tactics associated with file encrypting Trojans than there is in the internal code of these threats. For instance, the concept of threat campaigns disguising their extortion attempts as legal actions from a government agency is a theme that has seen de-emphasis during the shift from screen-locking Trojans to threats that encrypt your data. The Cry Ransomware hearkens back to the yesteryear of old Trojan tactics by including modern attacks along with an old style of ransom payment message.

Besides technical details of interest to the PC security sector, such as its use of UDP instead of TCP-based network protocols, the Cry Ransomware leverages standard encryption attacks to encode the data of your private files, with work documents and audio-video media being two of the most favorable targets. It adds the '.the Cry' extension to these files and also creates an HTML pop-up with a semi-random title. Following the Cry Ransomware's instructions directs the user to a ransom payment site that includes some choices more common to old, screen locker-based threats: a United States government seal, threats of impending lawsuits under any failure to pay the Bitcoin fee, and references to the non-existent Central Security Treatment Organization.

Other than pretending to be a legal authority, the Cry Ransomware uses other characteristics seen in similar attempts to extract ransoms via file encrypting attacks, including using a timer that forces the victim to act quickly. The changes in the payment Web page convey no extra legal protections, and malware experts habitually find con artists ignoring any requests for help after getting their Bitcoins.

Don't Cry over Spilled Ransomware

The Cry Ransomware is an excellent example of one of the covers con artists use in their efforts to collect money from PC owners during a Trojan campaign. Besides the degree of detail in its social engineering con, malware experts found another aspect of the Cry Ransomware's attacks worthy of note: its collection of core system information, which it transmits to a C&C server. Although the function shows no symptoms to alert the PC's operator, threat actors who aren't content with encrypting your data could use that information for other attacks.

The Cry Ransomware's campaign is dated for early September 2016, with little evidence available for examining its infection strategies. A con artist could install this threat by hacking a server's account, bundling it with another program or disguising its Trojan dropper to look like an e-mailed document. Your anti-malware products should detect and block all of these exploits or remove the Cry Ransomware before its attacks can conclude.

A healthy respect for the law can go a long way, but assuming that any Website showing that a legal graphic is legitimate can be an expensive mistake for any PC owner.