Home Malware Programs Ransomware Grand_car@aol.com Ransomware

Grand_car@aol.com Ransomware

Posted: August 23, 2016

Threat Metric

Threat Level: 10/10
Infected PCs: 94
First Seen: August 23, 2016
OS(es) Affected: Windows


The 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware is a Trojan that uses encryption to attack your saved data and prevent you from using it until you pay a ransom. Sums paid in exchange for illicit decryptors may not be honored, and even provided decryptors may not work as advertised. PC operators wishing to keep their files safe should use well-rounded security measures and keep anti-malware products able to remove the 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware to avoid the issue of decryption.

A Trojan Turning Your Files into Expensive Roadkill

The growth of the threat industry is as much about quantity as quality, with minor branches of old Trojans often producing new security complications despite basing themselves on thoroughly-analyzed packages of code. For example, the Crysis Ransomware is just one Trojan that has engendered a large family of derivatives, all of which include both obvious and non-obvious tweaks. The 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware is one of the newer additions to this series of threats, and, like them, uses encryption technology to hold the victim's data up for ransom.

When it launches, the 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware conceals its files in Windows sub-folders, such as System32. As usual, Registry exploits also are employed for helping the 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware launch itself along with Windows. The Trojan then proceeds to scan for files matching various prerequisites, with parameters for excluding some content (such as parts of Windows or any already-encrypted data). Content that it doesn't exclude, it encrypts with an RSA-AES combination algorithm.

While this attack prevents any affected data from loading in their related programs, malware experts note that you can identify and isolate them by monitoring for the associated name changes. The 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware employs minor name modifications individualized to each infection, as well as general inclusions, such as its e-mail address (for ransom negotiations) and the '.xtbl' extension.

Paying a con artist ransom doesn't provide an automated solution for decrypting your data necessarily. Simultaneously, malware experts have found no current utilities specific to decrypting the 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware. There is some possibility that general Crysis Ransomware decryptors may offer viable data recovery routes.

Taking a Turn Off of the 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware's Street

The 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware infections are identifiable after the fact from both their file changes and their ransom threats, which the Trojan may lock onto your desktop wallpaper. Similarly to the 'Meldonii@india.com' Ransomware, the 'Radxlove7@india.com' Ransomware and other threats developed from this same family, victims should not expect to be able to use Windows's local, default backups for recovery. Non-local backups may offer a more likely recovery option, although you should avoid accessing unnecessary files until after disinfecting your PC, when possible.

The 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware may distribute itself through attached e-mail threats or compromised advertising servers that misrepresent their downloads. As long as you pause to scan any incoming files before opening them, your professional anti-malware products can provide various forms of protection from these attacks. Updating your software and using strong server passwords also cover other infection methods malware experts have seen with Trojans of the same type.

While the 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware may lack originality, creative thought is not necessarily an indication of how much harm a Trojan can cause. Even copy-pasted programs with minor changes can produce financially irrecoverable damages to unprotected PCs. Remember your security standards and remove the 'Grand_car@aol.com' Ransomware before considering ransoms that are unlikely to pay off for your data.

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