Masterlock@india.com Ransomware

The 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware is a Trojan that takes your files hostage by encoding them with a cipher while its administrators withhold the decryption solution. Paying the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware's ransom may provide a working decryptor, but malware experts continue to recommend that PC owners with valuable data use less expensive methods of keeping the contents of their hard drives safe.

The Security Help with a Cost in Cryptocurrency

Looking at how con artists behave often provide some clues into how to avoid similar hoaxes or determine the extent of which a con artist is comfortable with the attack campaign. Although some con artists that administrate file encryption-based Trojan assaults don't bother including any significant hoax elements, others will incorporate as much deception as possible for increasing the chances of a ransom payout. Malware analysts have the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware showing the extent to which a con artist group can go in maintaining legal pretenses covering harmful attacks.

Although analysts have yet to confirm it, most characteristics of the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware conform to the past standards found in the Crysis Ransomware family, which hosts countless variants, many of which are most likely controlled by separate con artist entities. The symptoms of a complete the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware attack include changes to your files that encrypt them and append other information to their names (an ID number, e-mail address, and '.crypted' extension), the presence of a wallpaper-based encryption warning, and new Notepad-based decryption instructions.

However, the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware's most distinguishing characteristic is how its threat actors respond to inquiries for decryption assistance. Instead of asking for a bribe for their time, they enact a tactic of being remote PC security technicians. By maintaining a friendly pretense, they offer their 'professional' help with decrypting your content at the cost of three to five Bitcoins (1800 to 3000 in USD, once converted). Oddly, they also maintain a deadline before raising the ransom price, making their hoaxes seem less legitimate than it otherwise might appear.

Being Your Personal Master of Unlocking Files

There's little question that the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware's fake 'network security analysts' offer functional decryption solutions occasionally, but the individual infection scenarios remain at the mercy of con artists who may choose to ignore their victims at any time. Rather than taking that chance, PC users should protect their data through means most likely to avoid being affected by the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware, such as keeping a backup in a secure location. Due to the strength of their asymmetrical encryption algorithms, most variants of the Crysis Ransomware, including the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware, lack publicly available decryptors.

The 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware's administrators are not a legitimate technical support company and, despite their courtesy, should be treated as no better than other con artists extorting ransoms over data that isn't theirs. Most infection routes for Trojans of this specialty base themselves on e-mail spam, although malware analysts also see other techniques, including hacking vulnerable employee accounts directly. Almost all cases are preventable with anti-malware protection for stopping this threat's installer or removing the 'Masterlock@india.com' Ransomware before its encryption attack finishes its work.

Just like revisions of CrySiS-based Trojans, con artists come in many flavors, but even the most amicable of them are vulnerable to traditional self-education and basic security standards.