XRat Ransomware
Posted: August 17, 2016
Threat Metric
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: | 46 |
| First Seen: | August 12, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Last Seen: | January 19, 2023 |
| OS(es) Affected: | Windows |
The Xrat Ransomware is a file encryption Trojan based on the Xorist Ransomware kit. In keeping with that builder's scope, the XRat Ransomware scans for specific data types and uses a cipher to make them unreadable. The Xrat Ransomware then loads a ransom note that promises to restore your content after you pay its fee. Ideally, you should protect your data against these attacks with standard backup strategies, and use anti-malware products as needed for uninstalling the Xrat Ransomware.
A New Rat Nibbling Away at Your Files
In the sometimes creatively bankrupt threat industry, the accessibility of even one easy-to-use threat kit or open-source project can instigate countless revisions and variants of the same program. One of the most recent examples of this phenomenon of threat-developing productivity is the XRat Ransomware, a Trojan built from the construction kit also responsible for the Xorist Ransomware. Accordingly, the Xorist Ransomware also encompasses that threat's capacity for locking files with data-ciphering attacks.
The Xrat Ransomware scans for non-essential files on any local and removable drives and modifies them in two ways, one of which blocks them from being used, the other helps victims identify the scope of the damage. The Xorist Ransomware uses an unidentified encryption method to rearrange each file's internal data, which keeps them from opening. The Trojan also appends a custom text to each name: the '.C0rp0r@c@0Xr@' extension.
As a final act, the XRat Ransomware drops ransom notes in Notepad text messages and desktop-hijacking images. Like many Trojans before it, the XRat Ransomware also includes references to Anonymous in its extortion communications. Malware experts have found no tangible ties between the XRat Ransomware campaign and that organization, making its possible connection a probable bluff for facilitating quick ransom payments.
Exterminating a Trojan Vermin Before It Infests Your Hard Drive
Readers should note that the XRat Ransomware is not a member of the RAT (or 'Remote Access Trojan') category of threats, and doesn't incorporate features, such as backdoor control, that are common to RATs. On the other hand, the XRat Ransomware's payload does include the possibility of blocking your data and saved work in perpetuity. Victims may consider using previous, free decryption tools made available for the Xorist Ransomware, which also may counteract the attacks of minor variants like the XRat Ransomware. If decryption fails, restoring from a backup may be the only solution.
Malware experts also took notice of the language of choice in the XRat Ransomware's ransom messages. While Portuguese is associated with Portugal naturally, it also is linked to Brazil, the host of the 2016 Olympics. The campaign for the XRat Ransomware may be an attempt to profit from the increased digital traffic and commercial transactions associated with that event, in a fashion similar to that of the Sphinx banking Trojan.
Regardless of its intentions, removing the XRat Ransomware through anti-malware tools will stop it from launching any future attacks that continue damaging your files. As long as there's money to be made, even through international sporting events, PC users will need to find ways to protect themselves from new threats.