Decryption Assistant Ransomware

The Decryption Assistant Ransomware is a Trojan that locks your files until you pay a Bitcoin ransom for their return. Although other means of decrypting any damaged content may be viable, malware experts recommend making backups to remove all uncertainty from the data recovery process. Anti-malware products competent against Hidden Tear historically also can find and remove the Decryption Assistant Ransomware both before and after the launching of an encryption attack.

A Poor Choice of Computer Assistance

Threats like the VisionCrypt Ransomware and the Decryption Assistant Ransomware are continuing to abuse time limitations to force the hands of their victims, and making the wrong response within a narrow window of opportunity is easier than ever. For the latter, malware experts are rating it as a likely derivative of the Hidden Tear code once provided to the Web for free by Turkish researcher Utku Sen. While this family has well-known data recovery solutions, the Decryption Assistant Ransomware's warnings and its timer may combine to force the wrong response precisely.

At this time, all confirmed builds of the Decryption Assistant Ransomware are in-development test projects that attack only content within the desktop's 'chicken' directory. However, mere seconds of changes would adapt its payload for targeting content elsewhere on the infected PC, such as the user's profile folder or downloads. In addition to blocking files by encrypting them, the Decryption Assistant Ransomware appends the '.pwned' extension while not removing any earlier extension, giving the victim a means of identifying which content is unusable.

The Decryption Assistant Ransomware also protects its encryption routine by uploading the decryption key to a remote server, which con artists can sell back to their victims in exchange for ransom money. The Trojan delivers its ransoming demands through a pop-up it displays after locking your data. In this window, malware analysts noted details including a built-in decryption feature, a payment status checker, and a timer for how long the victim has to respond before the decryption solution's erasure.

Assisting Yourself with Anti-Trojan Protection

Unlike other versions of Hidden Tear, the Decryption Assistant Ransomware tries to 'have its cake and eat it, too,' by threatening the victim and using a title implying that it's only there to help you simultaneously. Since the Decryption Assistant Ransomware belongs to a family that sometimes is vulnerable to third-party decryption, malware experts recommend investigating such possibilities before taking more drastic methods of unlocking any encrypted content. You also can protect any content vulnerable particularly, such as documents, spreadsheets, or pictures, by creating backups that you store non-locally.

As a developing threat, the Decryption Assistant Ransomware could see distribution to the public in any number of ways, although some infection vectors, such as forged e-mail memos, are more likely than others. Currently, executables for the Decryption Assistant Ransomware are using fake Flash update filenames, although that disguise may change in a future update. Most anti-malware programs are capable of deleting the Decryption Assistant Ransomware as a threat to your system before it runs its encryption routine.

When it comes to Trojans who try to talk to the people they're harming, never forget the context of their advice. Assuming that the Decryption Assistant Ransomware is here to 'assist' you is more likely to empty your bank account than help with restoring your computer.