Gansta Ransomware

Posted: June 21, 2017

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Threat Level:	10/10
Infected PCs:	37

First Seen:	June 21, 2017
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Gansta Ransomware is a Trojan that tries to encrypt your files and then creates a pop-up message claiming that you can contact its author to unlock them for free. Current versions of the Gansta Ransomware have an unfinished code for the encryption routine, although any future upgrades to the threat may require having backups or third-party decryption applications available to recover your media. Scan all downloads and practice safe browsing habits to remove the Gansta Ransomware with appropriate anti-malware tools before it creates any of these symptoms.

Trojans that may or may not be as Clean as They Say

One of the smallest subdivisions of file-locking threats is the 'prank' or 'educational' strains, which claim to be locking your files purely for entertainment or as a cautionary demonstration. These Trojans, like the new the Gansta Ransomware, often say that they'll restore your content for no charge afterward. However, as with the more blatantly for-profit Trojan campaigns, the Gansta Ransomware's unlocking method gives no firm guarantee that following the instructions can help you unblock the damaged files.

The Gansta Ransomware has yet to be released with full file-encrypting features intact, although a skeleton function in current versions implies that, eventually, it will be using an AES-based cipher (one of the most common algorithms for malevolently encoding data). Affected files are illegible until they're decrypted again by a custom decryption utility. Malware experts also recommend looking for common symptoms, including hijacked desktop backgrounds, new extensions on filenames, and auto-playing audio clips, such as a text-to-speech function.

This Trojan also generates a pop-up bearing its 'ransom' information. The Trojan's message identifies itself, makes references to a famous gangster genre parody from the 'Home Alone' movies, and asks the victim to e-mail the author to get the key for free. In theory, the decryption module is built into the Gansta Ransomware, although, without a real encryption feature, malware experts can't verify any compatibility.

Pulling Your Files Away from the Gangster Lifestyle

The Gansta Ransomware's author might be being honest with his offer to give the decryption key to anyone who asks for it, or this claim may be a ploy to lure the victim into deeper ransom negotiations. In either case, depending on a Trojan's decryption tools sometimes can backfire and cause more damage to your files that is irreversible. Malware experts recommend copying your locked media and testing third-party decryptors, or, ideally, using a backup to restore anything that the Gansta Ransomware is blocking.

Professional, file-encrypting Trojan campaigns are known for using threats like exploit kits and spam attachments to compromise PCs. However, as a program built with more recreational purposes in mind, the Gansta Ransomware is more likely of being installed through bundling with other, free software, or disguising itself on an illicit download resource. Since this Trojan appears to lack any significant defenses or obfuscation, most anti-malware products should identify the executable heuristically and remove the Gansta Ransomware with no issues.

Con artists can be unpredictable, and, in the best of circumstances, even may turn out to be less threatening than their victims might fear. However, betting money or your files on that rarity is a gamble more likely than to never pay out for anyone dealing with this 'gangster' software.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

file.exe

File name: file.exe
Size: 21.5 KB (21504 bytes)
MD5: c978168167f0baea775d595b6f9408e7
Detection count: 46
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: June 21, 2017