Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware

Posted: August 8, 2017

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:	8/10
Infected PCs:	23

First Seen:	August 8, 2017
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware is a Trojan that locks your screen until you pay its ransom, which it misrepresents as being a fine from the FBI. Victims should disregard any warnings present in its screen-blocking pop-up and use standard security procedures, as recommended by malware experts, for regaining control over their PCs. A majority of anti-malware products, particularly if operating with updated threat detection, should remove the Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware on sight.

Just a Little Tape on Your Screen

Although FBI-themed hoaxes have fallen out of favor with the modern industry of ransoming files through Trojan attacks, some threat actors, apparently, prefer the old techniques of social engineering. New samples of a Trojan, potentially a forked project from Elmer's Glue Locker Ransomware, is delivering ransom demands that it disguises with fake FBI legal warnings. The Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware's attacks also include monitor-blocking functions that could keep you from using other applications indefinitely.

When running, the Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware generates a desktop folder named 'ElmerLock' and may try to introduce itself in the Windows Startup folder, for future automatic launches. The Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware doesn't try to disguise its files with unusual names or locations. The threat actor may be assuming that any concealment is unnecessary since the Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware's primary feature loads a borderless pop-up that blocks the entire desktop interface.

The Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware's window displays a fake legal warning claiming that the user was involved in various illegal activities, including spamming, pedophilia, and cannibalism (an unusual deviation from similar, tactic-based templates). They're asked to pay 150 USD in Bitcoins before mailing the supposed FBI and gain access to the three, separate codes needed to remove the pop-up. This Trojan is the first example malware analysts have found of a screen-locking threat uses three keys for its protection, since, for most purposes, a single one is more than adequate.

Scrapping Scotch Tape Off of Your Desktop

The bizarre nature of the Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware's legal accusations isn't the only telltale sign victims can use for identifying a clear case of fraudulent software. Bitcoin and similar crypto- currencies are prominent payment methods with ill-minded enterprises, and free email services like ProtonMail are popular with threat actors similarly, for obvious reasons. The Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware's installation doesn't have any correlation with illegal Web-browsing activities necessarily, although malware analysts do suspect that the Trojan is trying to distribute itself as a fake MP4 audio.

Avoid paying the Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware's fine to unlock your computer, which is expensive, uncertain of success, and rewarding to the threat actor for performing harmful acts. The Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware's possible ancestor, the Elmer's Glue Locker, could have its pop-up disabled with the default keyboard command of Alt + F4 (which closes the window in-focus currently). Alternately, malware analysts recommend rebooting into the Windows 'Safe Mode' environment directly or using a peripheral-based startup recovery. When you can access other applications, use an anti-malware program to scan your PC for threats and delete the Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware, in addition to other Trojans that may have helped with its installation.

Fake legal warnings are less usual in 2017 than in previous years, but 'uncommon' doesn't equal 'extinct.' When the Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware and screen-locking Trojans like it peddle misinformation, it's up to every PC user to educate themselves and avoid blatant tactics.

Scotch Tape Locker Ransomware

Threat Metric

Just a Little Tape on Your Screen

Scrapping Scotch Tape Off of Your Desktop

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