CryTekk Ransomware

The CryTekk Ransomware is a file-locker Trojan that can block media, such as your text documents, by encrypting it. Along with using these attacks for collecting ransoms for an unlocking service, the Trojan, also, promotes a corrupted Paypal copycat domain for harvesting your information. Avoid any contact with sites that this threat links towards, restore your work from a backup, and let a dedicated anti-malware program remove the CryTekk Ransomware from your computer.

The Trojan that's Double-Dipping with Its Crimes

Although most threats operate on a semi-specialized level and perform a tightly-interwoven series of attacks, some criminals add 'extras' or unique synergies to their payloads. An old example is the MauriGo Ransomware, which can block and ransom files, as well as 'mine' the infected PC for creating cryptocurrency. The CryTekk Ransomware is an even more advanced and semi-unique combination that turns the ransom note into a double-purpose phishing lure.

The CryTekk Ransomware performs a relatively common, non-consensual encryption attack that converts the targeted media (documents, spreadsheets, or images, for example) into non-opening, encrypted data. Then, it creates a local Web page with its ransoming instructions for paying the criminal a Bitcoin ransom for the unlocker. While the CryTekk Ransomware uses a format that malware experts have yet to identify in well-known families like Hidden Tear or the Scarab Ransomware, it also boasts its uniqueness by including fake 'Paypal' links.

The website link doesn't go to the Paypal domain, but, instead, to a copycat phishing site with a nearly identical template. The base domain (which the note does not link to directly) shows a fake login field for the user's Paypal account, while the sub-domain asks for your credit card information. The attack harvests these credentials efficiently and the associated financial access without doing anything about unlocking their files.

Avoiding Both Halves of a Two-Layer Scheme

Even users making the rash decision of trusting a Trojan's Paypal link should identify the fraudulent site through details such as poor English grammar and the lack of any personal account data, such as the current balance. Naturally, the Web address, also, doesn't match the official Paypal.com domain. Any browser security software that detects and blocks phishing tactics and corrupted websites should stop this site's loading.

However, malware experts have yet to confirm solutions for the encryption side of the CryTekk Ransomware's attacks, which may render your media useless permanently. The users can back up their work on other drives and devices for its safety, regarding files of often-attacked formats or content that's in a high-traffic location (such as the desktop or your Downloads directory) especially. Robust anti-malware tools can delete the CryTekk Ransomware safely, if not help with any additional file recovery necessarily.

The CryTekk Ransomware may leave its victims crying in more ways than one. On the other side of things, it's difficult to feel pity for someone who walks into the cyber-age equivalent of a trap without even bothering to look down at their feet.