CyberThanos Ransomware

The CyberThanos Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that stops digital media, including documents, pictures, and other files, from opening. Its encryption routine for doing so may not be reversible, and users should invest in backups as a readily available solution to any infections. Anti-malware products also may remove the CyberThanos Ransomware and disinfect your PC or prevent its installation.

Would-Be Criminals Receiving Punishment from Within Their Ranks

Even threat actors can appreciate irony, now and then, and the idea of punishing a criminal with equally illicit penalties holds appeal to some of them. More specifically, malware researchers often find threats using unauthorized media and software-related downloads as infection vectors, ranging from the STOP Ransomware's misnamed torrents to small-time competition like the WANNACASH NCOV Ransomware, the Pedro Ransomware, or the more intricately-crafted CyberThanos Ransomware. The Greek-named CyberThanos Ransomware is more than just a fake filename on an executable, but also a visible forged program.

After its installation, the CyberThanos Ransomware displays itself with a UI that represents itself as a license activator or crack for pirating premium software. Although the imitation doesn't include a working cracking feature, it serves as a distraction while the CyberThanos Ransomware starts encrypting and locking the user's files. Documents (RTFs, DOCs, PDFs), pictures (JPGs, BMPs, GIFs), archives (ZIPs, RARs), and similar content are at risk, although malware experts, as usual, find no reports or evidence of the CyberThanos Ransomware's damaging the operating system intentionally.

The CyberThanos Ransomware's data-blocking routine has two of the more often-seen features for such attacks: added extensions for files ('encrypted,' which it shares with the campaigns of the Genocheats Ransomware, the Sadogo Ransomware and more), and a text message. Its message is, however, no more than a taunt that mocks the user for disrespecting developers and breaking copyright laws currently. For the moment, it has no means of monetizing its payload through ransoms and, as a result, leaves victims with even fewer recovery choices than usual.

Showing the Limits of Extrajudicial Punishment on the Net

The CyberThanos Ransomware is a Windows program and shows various signs of being one of the many forks of Hidden Tear, a 'freeware' educational proof-of-concept project. Its title uses what is likely of being a reference to a comic book character or an ancient Greek forename equally. Its user interface also includes some Chinese characters. However, the CyberThanos Ransomware's note is in English, and its distribution shows no clear geographical boundaries.

Users can avoid the CyberThanos Ransomware infection vectors by exercising discernment around unofficial websites and file-sharing resources like torrent networks. The use of software piracy tools like cracks always is fraught with the risk of exposing one's system to file-locking Trojans, spyware, and other threats that profit from infecting users at random who are offering the least resistance to their attacks. Fortunately, the CyberThanos Ransomware isn't a high-level threat and shows no advanced obfuscation or signs of misleading digital signatures.

Proven anti-malware programs should detect the CyberThanos Ransomware appropriately and remove the CyberThanos Ransomware before it finishes running its encryption routine. After containing or deleting the Trojan, users may choose between any suitable recovery options, including, hopefully, their backups.

Not all criminals are after money – some of them only want to make a point. With a threat like the CyberThanos Ransomware, it's hard not to have the viewpoint that the victim was asking for exactly what they got exactly: unintended consequences.