Restore@protonmail.ch Ransomware

Posted: September 21, 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:	222

First Seen:	September 21, 2016
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware is a file encryption Trojan that encodes your data with a cryptographic algorithm that blocks you from being using them. Symptoms seen after this attack include various messages recommending that you contact an e-mail address, which is an archetypal method of initiating ransom demands. Malware experts recommend withholding your money, when possible, using other data recovery solutions, and deleting the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware with the appropriate anti-malware tools.

The Particle of Threat You don't Want Near Your PC

Although malware analysts always try to confirm any possible associations between new and old threats, not all threat campaigns provide enough information to be identified clearly within days of their introduction to the wild. Alongside numerous examples of Trojans basing their code on known families, like the Crysis Ransomware variants, you also can see threats like the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware, with more ambiguous backgrounds. Whatever its origins might be, the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware does continue to presenting the traditional hazard of file-encrypting ransom attacks to any unprotected PC.

The 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware uses asymmetric encryption standards for encrypting your files. As is the norm, the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware avoids encrypting information related to the operating system, instead, preferring content such as documents or audio. The encrypted content is identifiable by the new text strings appended to the end of each name: eight random characters and the '.locked' extension.

Malware analysts note that this renaming pattern also is present in some versions of the Zyklon Ransomware, although other sources speculate that the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware is more closely related to the Fantom Ransomware. Regardless, all three threats have no free decryption tools available to the public currently.

The 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware's 'intended' decryption method by its administrators is through e-mail ransoms, as recommended by its automatically-loaded desktop images and advanced HTML pop-up windows.

Restoring Your Digital Hostages Back to Their Old Selves

If suitably modified, EDA2 or Hidden Tear-based decryption apps may be capable of restoring any content that the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware encrypts. However, PC users that keep backups will not need to depend on the potential windfall of additional help from the PC security sector to restore their data. As a last resort, paying whatever ransom that the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware's threat actors demand may or may not provide access to a working decryption solution.

While the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware is new and has yet to have its infection methods confirmed, malware analysts tie such attacks to compromises of e-mail accounts very frequently. Trojan droppers that may install the 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware can disguise themselves as invoices, delivery notifications, and other types of documentation that could have their texts customized to a particular NGO target. Poorly-protected business servers are favored targets of these campaigns, although individuals also are open to having their digital belongings held hostage.

Between its pop-ups and desktop hijackings, it would be difficult to overlook the symptoms of a finalized 'Restore@protonmail.ch' Ransomware attack. However, by the time you do so, your files will be the subject of extortion, which makes foresight and good Web security standards, by far, the ideal choice.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\READ_ME!.hta

File name: READ_ME!.hta
Size: 4.44 KB (4442 bytes)
MD5: dc467435d013a0aabc9076566c3ae9f3
Detection count: 112
Mime Type: unknown/hta
Path: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: April 28, 2017

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\READ_ME!.hta

File name: READ_ME!.hta
Size: 4.44 KB (4442 bytes)
MD5: f8899df86f65d3c1109461520f3d877b
Detection count: 108
Mime Type: unknown/hta
Path: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: April 28, 2017

%APPDATA%\stub.exe

File name: stub.exe
Size: 150.01 KB (150016 bytes)
MD5: f9284e8e84b1f4675bf8665bffa6e6ac
Detection count: 70
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: %APPDATA%
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: September 21, 2016