Opqz Ransomware

The Opqz Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that's part of the STOP Ransomware Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). The Opqz Ransomware destroys local backups and encrypts media, such as documents, to hold it for ransom. Preemptive backup security plans can counteract most issues from infections, and an effective anti-malware software will delete the Opqz Ransomware automatically.

Another Day for Thousand-Dollar Ransoms from Four, Random Letters

The prolonged stint of the STOP Ransomware family's abandonment of overt name themes is making itself apparent, again, with its latest member. The Opqz Ransomware is a sample with fairly-recent confirmation as of late July, holding to the patterns long-intact by old cousins like the Zida Ransomware, the Nypd Ransomware, the Pezi Ransomware and even the ancient Djvu Ransomware. The names' meaning is always the same thing: data encryption for holding files at metaphorical gunpoint.

The Opqz Ransomware's family's crowning feature is the use of AES encryption, which it supplements with RSA that it can download from a Command & Control server, or use through a default key, instead. This attack will block most media files and hold them hostage, by stopping them from opening, and includes formats like Word or PDF documents, most pictures, audio and general Microsoft Office content. The Opqz Ransomware also makes significant changes to files' names in the process, including some ransoming information and its random, four-letter campaign name.

The less overt but equally-important attacks in the Opqz Ransomware's payload will provide ransoming demands and cause other security issues, such as:

• The Trojan deletes Shadow Volume Copies securely, which are the foundation of Restore Points.
• A fake Windows update may display as a distraction while the encryption runs.
• Attackers may deploy another threat simultaneously: AZORult, which can collect passwords (for infiltrating additional accounts and the rest of a network, for example).
• The Opqz Ransomware can stop websites from loading by changing the IP address to domain mappings in the user's Hosts file.

Cutting the Expenses of Trojan Data Assault

The Opqz Ransomware is a danger to servers with any of the traditional security weaknesses present, including weak passwords on admin accounts, open RDP, or outdated software with publicly-known vulnerabilities. Users also may encounter this threat after interactions with illicitly-downloaded content like game cracks or ripped movies. For browser-based attacks, features like JavaScript and Flash, usually, are responsible for enabling a drive-by-download.

Most users can take precautions that block all of these issues from arising and putting their files at risk. Since Ransomware-as-a-Services have numerous partners, users also should prepare themselves for unanticipated infection vectors. Backing up data to another device is the preferable solution to a file-locking Trojans' attacks.

Anti-malware solutions from many companies can delete the Opqz Ransomware without trouble, since the STOP Ransomware is a family that, like most RaaSes, puts little stock in long-term avoidance or evasion of security measures.

The Opqz Ransomware expands the growth of the STOP Ransomware service by a tiny amount, but any addition is another problem for the public. Without cutting into a criminal's profits, there are few options for making the Opqz Ransomware's campaign impractical or stopping new Trojan versions from endlessly self-recycling.