VXLOCK Ransomware

The VXLOCK Ransomware is a Trojan that can encrypt your files to lock them out of being used. Most Trojans supplement these attacks with messages asking the victims to transfer money to threat actors in return for getting access to their file recovery services. Because ransoming your files through these people may not always provide the promised result, you should keep backups to protect them from any temporary damage, and anti-malware products for removing the VXLOCK Ransomware upon its detection.

Trusting a Website Versus Your Own, Two Eyes

With diligent cyber security researchers cataloging new file-encrypting threats as they arise, con artists often resort to extra measures to hide their campaigns as long as they can. As an example, readers can look at the VXLOCK Ransomware. This late January Trojan conducts standard attempts at ransoming your files, similarly to the Crysis Ransomware, but also benefits from an administrator who is manipulating the file ratings in some online threat databases actively.

The VXLOCK Ransomware's installer is an under twenty-kilobyte EXE file. Unprotected Windows environments with Intel 386 or later processors are vulnerable to infection after the user launches the file, for instance, by being tricked into opening an e-mail attachment. Then, the VXLOCK Ransomware scans for local data that it can encrypt, of which malware experts note that, traditionally, text documents, pictures, audio, video, spreadsheets, databases, and backups are at the greatest level of risk. Along with using encryption to encipher and block this content, the VXLOCK Ransomware also adds a new '.VXLOCK' extension, from which the new Trojan gets its name.

This attack is nothing uncommon to Trojans of the VXLOCK Ransomware's classification and most often is part of an effort to ransom the victim's files in exchange for payments in Bitcoin. However, malware experts also find the VXLOCK Ransomware's threat actor taking a very active role in monitoring the Trojan's analysis among the cyber security community. Already, he has attempted to manipulate votes at VirusTotal, a Google-owned aggregation database of AV file ratings. If prolonged, these efforts could hinder some third parties in detecting the VXLOCK Ransomware accurately as being threatening software.

Getting the Best of a File-Locking Trojan Regardless of the Votes

Updating your anti-malware protection's database on a schedule is essential to detecting newly-produced Trojans like the VXLOCK Ransomware with ideal accuracy, although a minority of AV products already may detect it purely heuristically. Along with its name changes and capacity for blocking your files from opening, the symptoms of attacks by the VXLOCK Ransomware can include ransoming messages in Windows pop-ups or text messages, hijackings of your desktop background, auto-playing audio clips, or being unable to access any default Windows backups.

Con artists almost always ask for money before claiming to be able to help you unlock and decrypt your files. The reality of these ransom negotiations include non-revocable payments and suspect technical support from the threat actors inevitably, and malware experts urge you to consider such actions only as last resorts. Keeping backups on a cloud server or peripheral device can eliminate any irreversible file damage, leaving uninstalling the VXLOCK Ransomware with your choice anti-malware product as a straightforward task.

While some threat actors choose to spend their time manipulating website rating patterns, all reputable threat databases already account for any interference of this nature promptly. Additionally, these attempts to 'rig the system' should be unable to impact the local databases in use by reputable anti-malware programs. As a result, the VXLOCK Ransomware's window of benefit from this extra degree of obfuscation is limited and temporary, and prior standards in AV tactics should continue being able to keep your files safe.