Leon Ransomware

Posted: January 5, 2018

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:	8/10
Infected PCs:	59

First Seen:	April 28, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Leon Ransomware is a variant of the Blind Ransomware that dates to before the Napoleon Ransomware and Skeleton Ransomware updates. The Leon Ransomware can block different formats of media on your computer by using encryption-based attacks to convert them into illegible temporarily, encoded versions, which also may include some symptoms, such as new extensions. Having anti-malware programs for expediting the deletion of the Leon Ransomware and backups for recovery purposes is equally essential for your defense against this threat.

The Murky Price of Being Blind to Your File Backups

Even as families like Blind Ransomware continue experiencing meaningful development between releases, each version may proliferate through the work of other threat actors, typically ones paying up-front or via profit percentages, under the RaaS model. The Leon Ransomware, although only recently detectable, is an example of an 'outdated' but a viable version of the Blind Ransomware continuing to function in the hands of third-party cybercrooks.

The Leon Ransomware is using an AES or Rijndael algorithm for blocking the files of Windows systems, and its targets can include DOC, GIF, JPG, PDF, TXT, XLS and other formats. In brackets, the names of these files also display the Leon Ransomware's threat actor's e-mail address and the '.leon' extension. Victims also should make a note that malware analysts found a fake system file that the Leon Ransomware generates ('netcache64.sys') containing the required information for decoding their files. Deleting this component may make any of the data that the Leon Ransomware encrypts unrecoverable permanently.

Although some versions of the Leon Ransomware seem to be buggy and fail to drop the appropriate ransom notes, afterward, the non-buggy builds of the Leon Ransomware create HTA messages, similar to the separate Globe Ransomware family. The threat actors are demanding non-specific sums in Bitcoin for providing their decryption help, and also give the victim the option of having three 'trial' samples of the decryptor.

Opening Your Eyes to Simple File-Saving Solutions

The Blind Ransomware family has yet to reveal any weaknesses in its encryption that would help third-party researchers decrypt the files that it locks. However, neither is paying its ransom ideal, since the cybercrooks can provide corrupt decryption software or even take the money without any further action. Any at-risk users should store their backups on secure drives and update them routinely, which gives them ways of restoring media without needing a decryption solution.

Although the Leon Ransomware is in distribution, malware researchers have yet to confirm the mode of infection it uses. Trojans with file-locking payloads correlate with e-mail spamming campaigns frequently, but also are installable by cybercrooks brute-forcing their way onto remote systems, and, to a lesser extent, utilize exploit kits and illicit-themed downloads. Because of the questionable nature of decryption, blocking and removing the Leon Ransomware with anti-malware products preemptively is essential.

Old and new, different versions of the Blind Ransomware's small family are maintaining their relevance in 2018's threat landscape. Even an 'outdated' Trojan like the Leon Ransomware can do more harm than the average user might think against files that have no protection

Leon Ransomware

Threat Metric

The Murky Price of Being Blind to Your File Backups

Opening Your Eyes to Simple File-Saving Solutions

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