Lock93 Ransomware

Posted: October 23, 2016

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:	35

First Seen:	October 23, 2016
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Lock93 Ransomware is a Trojan that displays data-ransoming messages and enforces them with an encryption-based payload. The Lock93 Ransomware also may lock your desktop or deliver threats against taking standard actions for disinfecting the PC. Like all file encrypting Trojans, having a backup to protect your data and anti-malware protection for removing the Lock93 Ransomware before its execution are the simplest forms of protection available.

The Trojan Semi-Fluent in the Language of Extortion

While many of the samples malware researchers see are connected with one of a handful of families closely, either by borrowing code from free sources or renting control clients from other con artists, sometimes, threats are 'all-new.' However, being a wholly independent program isn't necessarily indicative of sophistication. The Lock93 Ransomware is a new Trojan with no current ties to any other threats, but with low-level code that, despite its limited impact, is capable of launching full data-encrypting, ransom-based attacks.

MalwareHunterTeam verified the first sample of the Lock93 Ransomware in late October. This threat generates at least two ransom messages for convincing its victims to pay money in return for undoing the file damage the rest of its payload causes, with the instructions delivering themselves in both Russian and English. Note that although the ransom demand uses the now-outdated RUR suffix to refer to Russian rubles, the author most likely means RUB. Even in the latter case, the Lock93 Ransomware's payment request is, by the standards of Western and European PC owners, unusually cheap at an equivalent value of sixteen USD.

Along with its HTML application and Notepad-based messages, the Lock93 Ransomware also launches file-encrypting attacks. Current evidence noted by malware experts suggests that the encryption method includes significant vulnerabilities that could make free decryption a possibility shortly. PC owners without such options are unable to open the encoded content, although they can detect the tampered data by an extension unique to the Lock93 Ransomware ('.the Lock93').

The Universal Sign for Resolving Data Extortion

When stood beside similar Trojans, the Lock93 Ransomware is not an extremely advanced program and shows no indications of such features as a backdoor, root-level access, or other characteristics that would make it a high-level threat. The PC security community is working on developing a decryption solution that would help victims recover all data in full without paying the Lock93 Ransomware's threat actor currently. As usual, PC owners that have backups can use them to restore all the encrypted files without a decryption routine after they disinfect the system.

The languages in use, ransom sums, and other details indicate that the Lock93 Ransomware most likely is launching its campaign throughout Russia, Eastern Europe and adjacent areas of the world. Although many con artists may use other methods of threat distribution, malware analysts most usually see these threats installing themselves after being launched from e-mail attachments. When necessary, scan these attachments, and always use anti-malware software that can remove the Lock93 Ransomware before its payload encrypts any content.

Underestimating even the simplest of Trojans can end in damage to your hard drive's files. Whatever country you live in, new file-encrypting threats like the Lock93 Ransomware are a concern worth double-checking the veracity of something before you click it.

Lock93 Ransomware

Threat Metric

The Trojan Semi-Fluent in the Language of Extortion

The Universal Sign for Resolving Data Extortion

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