Ransomwared Ransomware

The Ransomwared Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that blocks media on your computer and holds it hostage. Instead of asking for money for a ransom payment, however, this threat demands adult pictures. Users still can seek the usual ways of remedying infections by deleting the Ransomwared Ransomware through an appropriate anti-malware tool and recovering their media through either a backup or a freeware decryption utility.

High-Tech Extortion Getting a Little Sex Appeal

The salaciousness of x-rated content pops up in the threat landscape in various ways. Examples include Varenyky's targeting adult website traffic, the blackmailing of the 'Nest Video Extortion' Email Scam, and the nRansom Ransomware's demands. The latter is the most unusual example of 'sextortion,' or sex-themed extortion, but a new Trojan, the Ransomwared Ransomware, is reviving the con.

As with a majority of Trojans with extortionist aims, the Ransomwared Ransomware puts pressure on victims by locking their files with encryption. The data encryption, in this case, targets well-known Windows user locations, such as their Videos and Documents folders. Malware analysts also confirm at least two variants of the Ransomwared Ransomware out in the wild, although the differences between them are cosmetic issues. One version adds 'ransomwared' extensions to filenames, while the second uses 'iwanttits' instead.

The Ransomwared Ransomware also keeps up the usual traditions of the more advanced families of file-locking Trojans by displaying its ransom demands through Windows pop-ups. What makes the feature most unusual is its ransom of 'show me your tits' and an e-mail address for the pictures, rather than asking for Bitcoins or vouchers. The e-mail address also emphasizes the erotic theme by using the name of a former adult film actress.

Denying Trojans Their Perverse Thrills

While the Ransomwared Ransomware's act of extortion is cheaper than the hundreds of dollars that a Ransomware-as-a-Service expects, it's no less harmful to the dignity of the victim. It also represents a comparable danger to any files that it blocks, which the user can't open without decrypting them – regardless of their format, content or value. Thankfully, a cyber-security company is providing a freely-downloadable decryptor for the Ransomwared Ransomware, which should unlock anything encrypted.

Most file-locking Trojans offer fewer opportunities for recovery than the Ransomwared Ransomware, and securing an encryption feature isn't very difficult for even an entry-level programmer. Victims can account for such difficulties by saving backups into places that malware experts rate as secure, usually, such as password-protected cloud storage or a detachable device. No word is yet available on how the Ransomwared Ransomware is distributing itself, and the possibilities in that area range from e-mail phishing lures to website Exploit Kits to torrents.

This Trojan is targeting Windows environments, and most Windows anti-malware suites should handle deleting the Ransomwared Ransomware on sight. Readers should remember that even total disinfection doesn't restore their media.

The Ransomwared Ransomware might be after cheap thrills or just a joke. Whether it's funny or playing it straight, it's as threatening to your data as any other Trojan legitimately, and ought to receive the same treatment.