Haka Ransomware

The Haka Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that takes your media hostage by encrypting it. Symptoms of infections also include the Haka Ransomware's changing the extensions of these files and delivering text messages asking for ransoms for its unlocking help. Users should make every effort to ignore the extortion and roll back to their latest backup after deleting the Haka Ransomware with a trusted anti-malware product.

South America: Home to More than Banking Trojans

While South American nations are, often, beset by campaigns from banking Trojans taking advantage of their unique financial services, those aren't the only threats that malware experts find attacking that part of the world. The western end of the continent is receiving assaults from a new, file-locking Trojan - the Haka Ransomware – from a still-unknown family. Ironically, the Haka Ransomware portrays itself as offering an umbrella of 'strong protection' for the data that's under duress from its payload.

Malware experts can do no more than note the nation of Chile and Windows OSes as statistics for current infections from this threat's campaign. Besides using encryption for locking the user's files, which can run from documents and pictures to obscure formats like 3D modeling and blueprint output, the Haka Ransomware tags them with its 'haka' extension (a possibly-Arabic term). This feature can help both victims, and the decryptor's identifying which content isn't opening.

Although the Haka Ransomware also creates a text message, borrowing text is rife among the different families of file-locking Trojans. As a result, the Haka Ransomware's phrasing's being similar to that of the Maoloa Ransomware, and the HC7 Planetary Ransomware is insufficient evidence for determining its lineage. Users testing out any freeware decryptor utilities for recovering their media should avoid using the only copies of their locked files, which can suffer from irreparable damage from an incorrect decryption routine.

Sweeping Extortion-Happy Trojans Off the Coast

The Haka Ransomware is a memo to the unaware that file-locking Trojans of various lineages may prefer different parts of the world, but are capable of appearing anywhere. Preventing attacks requires that website and server admins maintain suitable security practices, such as securing remote desktop administration, and that business employees monitor e-mails for tactics that could lead to their interacting with unsafe documents or links. The average user is most at risk from torrents and other, legally-shaky download sources that can carry disguised Trojan installers.

Until malware experts can certify the nature of the Haka Ransomware's encryption, any unlocking assistance may or may not be practical for its victims. However, paying a ransom for the threat actor's decryption is a solution that may not pay off necessarily either. Backing up files to USB devices or cloud storage regularly will give a more-dependable path to data recovery for anyone with media that's of value.

Windows anti-malware programs from most vendors should uninstall the Haka Ransomware after an infection safely or prevent one in the first place, if possible.

The Haka Ransomware's geographical preference is notable, for a Trojan with its style of payload. That South America could experience a sharp rise in attacks of this type, much like the Philippines and other, Asian nations, is a possibility worth keeping in one's mind.