Nacro Ransomware

The Nacro Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan from the Ransomware-as-a-Service known as STOP Ransomware. Its encryption can keep your files from opening in other programs while it awaits a ransom. Victims should recover from backups, if possible, and use anti-malware products for removing the Nacro Ransomware safely from their systems.

A Trojan Update Arrives after No Wait Worth Mentioning

In a stability-challenged market, the STOP Ransomware's breakneck pacing of update management is becoming one of its most identifiable eccentricities. Multiple samples from victims throughout the world are verifying that the Nacro Ransomware's campaign is commencing on a broad scale, running on build 1.47 of the family. Such rapid patching makes the Nacro Ransomware an improvement over its predecessors, including the Cosakos Ransomware (1.34), the Mogranos Ransomware (1.33), the Mtogas Ransomware (1.44), or the elder Djvu Ransomware.

No symptom-based differences appear in the Nacro Ransomware's payload, so far, meaning that its primary risk to users remains its encryption. This AES-based, file-locking routine can use a flexible offline or online securing system, with the possibility of only the threat actor being capable of decrypting it. Related symptoms of this attack include the 'nacro' extension in the names of the non-opening media files, as well as missing Restore Point data. The latter is due to the Nacro Ransomware's using shell commands for wiping the Shadow Volume Copies, which is a 'common-sense' precaution among Trojans of this type.

After it completes its first order of business, the Nacro Ransomware also generates ransom notes, which, typically, use a Notepad TXT format. These messages provide contact information for ransom negotiations, but the STOP Ransomware family withholds the price of buying the unlocker. Whether the Nacro Ransomware's price is affordable or costly, malware experts advise against paying, which has unfriendly rates of successful data recovery statistically.

Putting the STOP on Ransoms Before They Get to You

File-locking attacks are capable of abusing multiple infection strategies historically, and Ransomware-as-a-Service's rentability makes it flexible. However, malware experts find many versions of the Nacro Ransomware's family using fake downloads, such as torrents or malvertising. Network administrators should maintain appropriate precautions around e-mail attachments and use secure logins, which also are possible infection vectors. Due to the ubiquity of vulnerabilities like CVE-2017-5340, all users should apply security patches as they're available, as well.

Victims with unretrievable files can contact a security researcher with history in analyzing file-locking Trojans and the STOP Ransomware family. In some cases, the Nacro Ransomware may use a less-secure encryption routine. However, this recovery option requires an offline version of the attack, and the Nacro Ransomware shows no notable symptoms that would let prompt a user into disabling their network connectivity immediately.

Most versions of this family will run in Windows environments. Compatible anti-malware tools should delete the Nacro Ransomware quickly and prevent installation attempts from the usual sources.

While a new birth in the STOP Ransomware family is a near-daily problem, it doesn't need to be a noteworthy event for any victims. Responsible data storage can compensate for any of the damage a Trojan like the Nacro Ransomware can cause even after it gets onto your PC.