Gryphon Ransomware

The Gryphon Ransomware is a Trojan that uses encryption to block your files before extorting money for the unlocking procedure. Most users with backups should be able to restore their content right away, and freeware decryption software sometimes can give you other ways of decoding any blocked file. Besides having good security to stop the infection, you should use anti-malware products to remove the Gryphon Ransomware without risking the omission of any related threats, such as Trojan downloaders.

A Monster that's More than Mythical

A new brand of file-ransoming Trojan was first seen late in July, showing various signs of being recycled from previous campaigns. While the Gryphon Ransomware is very derivative of similar threats, it also differs sufficiently to have had some success in evading security solutions. If not blocked beforehand, the Trojan may encode your files, and then ask you to pay for getting them back to normal.

For now, all samples of the Gryphon Ransomware acquired are using what seem to be placeholder filenames, such as 'payload.exe.' The Trojan's infection methods are, likewise, uncertain, although malware researchers are inclined to suspect of e-mail spam campaigns, or compromised websites hosting exploit kits as the most likely vectors. Once launched, the Gryphon Ransomware uses a cipher to encrypt different files on the PC, such as documents or pictures. It also adds '[decr@cock.li].gryphon' extensions to their names, including the address for later negotiations with its threat actor.

Although its brand is unique to this campaign, the Gryphon Ransomware uses a ransom message copied from other ones, possibly as a result of a Ransomware-as-a-Service origin. This text message includes some basic information about the file-locking attack and asks you to enter into negotiations at the above email for paying the ransom. Like many threat actors, the Gryphon Ransomware's author offers a limited 'demo' of his decryptor to encourage paying, which remains in the victim's best interest not necessarily.

Slaying a Beast that Preys on Your Files

While it's less fictional than its horse-eating namesake of Greek myth, the Gryphon Ransomware is similarly cobbled together from different components that malware analysts have seen in circulation previously. As a result, while enjoying low-detection rates initially, most AV vendors have updated their databases for the Gryphon Ransomware's inclusion and are detecting it at acceptable levels. Along with employing the standard protection that such software can provide, users also can reduce the chances of incurring irreversible file damage by backing their work up to a location that the Gryphon Ransomware can't reach, such as a removable storage.

You should always avoid paying ransoms to acquire a decryptor compatible with the Gryphon Ransomware until you test all other options. Trojans with strong similarities to RaaS families and other, widespread threats like Hidden Tear, are often compatible with free decryption programs that various PC security organizations host. Since the people operating in this subsection of the cyber misdemeanor economy prefer currencies that lack conventional fraud protection, paying doesn't guarantee that you'll be able to decrypt your files.

Most anti-malware products should detect the Gryphon Ransomware, although some are identifying it as a lesser threat, such as adware incorrectly. Having these programs installed can block its installation and attacks, or delete the Gryphon Ransomware afterward to prevent further damages.

The peak of a Trojan's campaign can be brief. Already, the Gryphon Ransomware is plunging in successful infections without being detected, but the Trojan being detectable matters only for users who choose to protect themselves (and their files) in the first place.

Technical Details