Zilla Ransomware

Posted: June 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:	10/10
Infected PCs:	54

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

The Zilla Ransomware is a Turkish Trojan that uses a cipher to lock your files from opening. Symptoms can include new extensions on the names of any blocked content as well as new text messages from the Zilla Ransomware's threat actor. Avoid following any recommendations or advice in the latter, when possible, and use anti-malware products for removing the Zilla Ransomware as a threat from your PC.

A New Monster Stomping Your Files to the Ground

Months after Trojans like the DeriaLock Ransomwar used similar methods, the .NET Framework is making another appearance in a file-locking Trojan's campaign. This latest Trojan borrowing Microsoft's programming infrastructure for extorting money is the Zilla Ransomware, a Trojan its author is configuring for attacking residents of Turkey. Malware experts have yet to confirm any wild infections, but the Trojan's primary attack features are fully functional.

The Zilla Ransomware is a Windows-based program with background networking features for communicating with its threat actor. The Trojan tries to block no more than eight different formats of data: DOC, JPG, MP3, PDF, PNG, PPTX, TXT and XLS. Every file it encrypts with this AES (or Rijndael, as it also is known) algorithm becomes illegible, along with getting the new '.zilla' extension in its name.

While the Zilla Ransomware encrypts your files without any symptoms, it eventually alerts the victim by creating a Turkish ReadMe file ('OkuBeni.txt'). Future attacks may use this message for delivering the threat actor's requests for money to help you with unlocking your media, but malware experts find no substantial information or content in current samples.

The Easier Solution to the Zilla Ransomware than a Force of Arms

Resolving attacks from its namesake may require tanks or nuclear bombs, but the Zilla Ransomware shows no particularly sophisticated defenses against traditional anti-malware solutions. When isolating a Zilla Ransomware infection, malware experts recommend disabling any network connections, which can prevent the threat from communicating with its C&C server. Users can benefit from having backups or free decryption software to restore their files and avoid any ransom-related demands from the Trojan's author.

While non-Windows systems aren't compatible with all of the Zilla Ransomware's components, most Windows PCs are at risk for encryption-based file damage. Data-encrypting Trojans in 2017 may use e-mail messages and associated attachments, as well as corrupted websites, for installing themselves with the help of other threats. Removing the Zilla Ransomware or other Trojans that may install it should be possible with any well-qualified anti-malware program.

Even in cyber security, it's easier to avoid an injury than it is to heal it. Turkish PC users not in the right frame of minds for protecting their documents or pictures might see them under assault by the consequences of the Zilla Ransomware's attacks.

Zilla Ransomware

Threat Metric

A New Monster Stomping Your Files to the Ground

The Easier Solution to the Zilla Ransomware than a Force of Arms

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