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FastWind Ransomware

Posted: July 20, 2020

The FastWind Ransomware is an independent file-locking Trojan that can stop your documents and other media from opening. Although victims may find free decryption services for recovering, most users should have backups as a foolproof failsafe against infections. Anti-malware products will protect any digital media automatically by deleting the FastWind Ransomware in most cases immediately.

A Trojan Skips Some Steps for a Faster Ransom

Most file-locking Trojans' campaigns come down to exploiting the user-friendly Ransomware-as-a-Service business sector, but that black market isn't the only origin story for these threats. When an independent operative appears, it can be cause for alarm, especially when there's any professionalism in its encryption or other, file-blocking mechanisms. For the FastWind Ransomware, although it takes a lazy route for its attacks, the tactic does little to help victims out of the costs.

Like the Sun Ransomware or Russia's Wulfric Ransomware, the FastWind Ransomware has no ties to a RaaS family, and its threat actor might be keeping the entirety of any ransoms it collects. Concerning the types of data at risk, malware experts only confirm one of the formats that the FastWind Ransomware targets: XMLs or Excel spreadsheets. However, it's incredibly likely that the FastWind Ransomware also will encrypt and lock content like documents, pictures, server databases, movies, archives and music.

The 'fast' portion of the FastWind Ransomware's name is a theme in its payload, too. Its encryption routine will encrypt a file's data partially by skipping every other block of sixteen bytes. This method cuts the Trojan's workload in half while not sacrificing anything to keep the data from opening. Most file-locking Trojans prefer expediting their attacks as much as possible, limiting the need for investing in obfuscation or anti-detection features and preventing victims from interrupting the process before all the digital media becomes a hostage.

Shutting Out the Bitter Wind of Data Extortion

The FastWind Ransomware has a fairly-standard ransom note: a Notepad text file that gives English directions on paying for its unlocker, complete with a theoretical 'free demo.' Somewhat interestingly, the Trojan's e-mail addresses include the string 'Globe,' which might be a reference to the Globe Imposter Ransomware or Globe Ransomware families. Malware experts recommend against attempting hasty decryption efforts with tools for those groups since there are no indications that the FastWind Ransomware belongs to either of them.

Besides the chance of a public decryptor appearing, any victim's best hopes of recovering encrypted content lie in their backup strategies. Securing a backup to another device makes the user's media virtually invincible to the FastWind Ransomware infections, once one subtracts the time required for restoring each file from its older copy. Malware experts also encourage safety steps such as using secure passwords, scanning e-mail attachments, and avoiding torrents for keeping Trojans like the FastWind Ransomware at a distance.

While its obfuscation and defensive features are indeterminate, the right anti-malware products are traditionally optimal for thwarting threats of the FastWind Ransomware's category. Users should avoid removing the FastWind Ransomware manually without the supervision of experienced cyber-security specialists.

As the wind of the FastWind Ransomware blows into the public's hard drives, one can hope that money will not blow out into criminals' pockets. The FastWind Ransomware might not be a Ransomware-as-a-Service, at the moment, but it's just as much a money machine for anyone with the lack of morals for using it.

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