Haze Ransomware

Posted: August 31, 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:	31

First Seen:	August 31, 2017
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Haze Ransomware is a screen-locking Trojan that fakes encryption attacks against your media to solicit ransom payments. Although it has no features for causing permanent damage to documents or other content, it is a potential threat to your security and can hinder overall UI accessibility. Use anti-malware programs for removing the Haze Ransomware or blocking its installation exploits, along with any other steps in this article for regaining control over the PC.

Seeing through an Illusion of Flashing Skulls

Even with so many public and premium resources for crafting Trojans that encrypt files for money, threat actors don't always invest even that minimal amount of time into programming. Fake file-locking attacks are rising adjacent to their fully-functioning counterparts, and often, like the Haze Ransomware may use images to mimic the real thing. Following the appearances of the Haze Ransomware for determining the underlying security problems can turn any PC user into a wholly unnecessary victim of extortion.

The Haze Ransomware launches with a pop-up: an advanced Web page meant to imitate the much more sophisticated Petya Ransomware in its appearance. The window is maximized with missing controls to keep the users from accessing their desktops, or other parts of the Windows interface. Besides displaying a flashing background and a text-based skull motif, the attack claims that the PC is being locked by a supposed 'military grade' encryption algorithm and asks for the equivalent of twenty-five Euros in a prepaid voucher format to restore your files.

Malware researchers have been able to confirm that the Haze Ransomware doesn't include any features for encrypting, deleting, or overwriting the infected PC's files. The Trojan isn't, at present, a direct threat to often-targeted content like documents, pictures or spreadsheets. However, the superimposed pop-up window can prevent users from ascertaining these details without finding a way to terminate the program and its symptoms.

Clearing a Trojan's Haze from Your Screen

Often, Trojans that block the screens of their victims exploit social engineering strategies like those in the Haze Ransomware to incite a ransom paying behavior. In reality, the victims have nothing to gain from making such payments and always should try to unlock their computers by other methods. For the time being, malware experts advise trying the Safe Mode feature present in most operating systems before using more comprehensive steps like booting directly from a USB drive, to keep the Haze Ransomware's window from appearing.

The Haze Ransomware's threat actors are using English-based instructions, most likely for keeping their linguistic compatibility with different targets at the highest level possible. Recurring typos, including misspelling the payment method repeatedly, imply that the Haze Ransomware is the product of a non-English speaker using translation assistance. However, the Haze Ransomware isn't dependent on the system's local language settings. Anti-malware security products may identify and remove the Haze Ransomware, either in Safe Mode, after disabling it, or before it starts its installation.

As long as lying is to their advantage, Trojans have no reason to be honest with the people they attack completely. Treat them accordingly to keep campaigns like the Haze Ransomware's attacks from causing perfectly avoidable financial damage.

Haze Ransomware

Threat Metric

Seeing through an Illusion of Flashing Skulls

Clearing a Trojan's Haze from Your Screen

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