Troj/Ransom-HC

Posted: July 5, 2012

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:	9/10
Infected PCs:	59

First Seen:	July 5, 2012
Last Seen:	April 26, 2022
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Troj/Ransom-HC is a Windows-based ransomware Trojan that encrypts various files on your PC to make them unusable and recommends that you pay a high fine to unlock your files. In addition to its ransom pop-up, Troj/Ransom-HC also includes a secondary pop-up alert that warns that 'spam' and child pornography-related files will be turned over to the police if you don't pay the decryption fee. In spite of this warning, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers haven't observed any functions in Troj/Ransom-HC that are linked to detecting illegal programs, and further note that Troj/Ransom-HC's own actions are at least as illegal as the crimes Troj/Ransom-HC accuses you of doing on your PC. If you're unable to prevent Troj/Ransom-HC from penetrating your machine in the first place, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts recommend that you delete Troj/Ransom-HC with suitable anti-malware software and either restore your encrypted files from a backup or use freely-distributed decryption utilities to decrypt your files. In no case should you ever spend money on Troj/Ransom-HC's fee, which has no guarantee of giving you a functioning solution to your files' encryption problem.

When Accessing Your Files Turns into a Troj/Ransom-HC-Induced Panic

Troj/Ransom-HC was recently-detected in early July of 2012, and you should consider anti-malware programs that are working with threat databases earlier than this point to be at risk for failing to detect or block Troj/Ransom-HC. While some details of Troj/Ransom-HC's pop-up messages (such as a reference to Euros) cause SpywareRemove.com malware researchers to believe that victims are being targeted in Europe, PCs in other regions may also be in danger of Troj/Ransom-HC attacks, which are applicable to most versions of Windows.

Troj/Ransom-HC's attacks start by encrypting arbitrary files on your PC with a code that makes them unusable; although SpywareRemove.com malware experts have only confirmed this attack for Word documents, it's also likely that other text files, image files and movie files will also be encrypted. Troj/Ransom-HC claims that you'll need to pay a fee and contact an included Gmail address to remove the encryption, although it's recommended that you spare your money and avoid taking these criminals at their word. Regaining access to your files is best accomplished by either restoring backup copies or using one of various decryption utilities that are freely-distributed by PC security companies.

Troj/Ransom-HC: a Two-Fold Ransom That's Fifty Percent Fake

Troj/Ransom-HC also includes a second warning that claims that you will be reported to 'the Police' for possession of child pornography or spam-related software. However, there aren't any serious indications that Troj/Ransom-HC's criminal partners intend to follow through on this threat, and SpywareRemove.com malware researchers don't see any signs ofTroj/Ransom-HC or related PC threats being able to detect such files on your computer regardless of their presence or lack thereof. Typical to most ransomware Trojans, Troj/Ransom-HC's threat only serves to give urgency and a sharp time limit to its ransom attempt, and it's encouraged for you to ignore it completely.

Like all Trojans, Troj/Ransom-HC should be removed by a qualified anti-malware program, although you may need to deactivate Troj/Ransom-HC before you can access software that's capable of deleting Troj/Ransom-HC. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend booting from Safe Mode, or, in the event of that solution's failure, booting from a removable media device, which should prevent Troj/Ransom-HC from starting and let you disinfect your PC.

Troj/Ransom-HC

Threat Metric

When Accessing Your Files Turns into a Troj/Ransom-HC-Induced Panic

Troj/Ransom-HC: a Two-Fold Ransom That's Fifty Percent Fake

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