zScreenlocker Ransomware

Posted: November 7, 2016

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.

Ranking:	1,272
Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	85,864

First Seen:	November 7, 2016
Last Seen:	October 17, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The zScreenlocker Ransomware is a Trojan that locks your screen by forcing it to display an anti-Islamic image and may include symptoms such as encrypting your files or demanding ransom for restoring your PC. Because the zScreenlocker Ransomware is not a high-level threat, malware experts recommend using traditional anti-malware strategies and assistance from PC security experts or software, as necessary, instead of paying any ransom. An increasing majority of anti-malware products detect and delete the zScreenlocker Ransomware accurately.

The Screen-Locking Trojan with Strong Religious Opinions

Threatening software most often is about money, but also includes inevitable commentary on the social framework surrounding its coders. The zScreenlocker Ransomware is one of the most abject examples of toxic social engineering in modern-day Trojans, along with much more standard, screen-locking attacks. The original sample's availability is courtesy of a threat analyst at GData, and malware experts have yet to verify any active attacks using it.

The zScreenlocker Ransomware (or, simply, the zScreenlocker) is an eight-megabyte executable that forces Windows to load an image file as a pop-up that retains focus forcibly. The picture displays a graphic of the Brazilian flag with an anti-Islamic symbol superimposed on top. Additional symptoms you may find in some versions of the zScreenlocker Ransomware also can include:

The zScreenlocker Ransomware may delete system data commonly associated with backups and system rollbacks such as the Windows Shadow Copy.
The zScreenlocker Ransomware may include encryption features in its payload that encode your files with a cipher to prevent you from opening them. Decryption sometimes is possible with help from applications offered by reputable PC security organizations and researchers.
The zScreenlocker Ransomware may include additional pop-up content or text messages in its lock-screen feature, most usually, attempts at soliciting ransom money for unblocking your computer.

Choosing an Opinion on Islam for Yourself

Con artists can deploy threats like the zScreenlocker Ransomware to try to force their victims into paying money for repair services that, often, aren't given afterward. Most attack scenarios, particularly by low-level threats like the zScreenlocker Ransomware, include other recovery possibilities that will not require paying a con artist out of hope for a compassionate response. As one example, malware analysts estimate that the zScreenlocker Ransomware's password is hard-coded and not complicated currently, making it relatively straightforward for victims to resolve the screen-locking attack via the 'brute force' technique.

Alternate recovery choices include using Safe Mode, which most operating systems provide, to restart without the zScreenlocker Ransomware launching, or using an emergency boot-up option such as a secondary USB drive. After resolving the lock-down, always delete the zScreenlocker Ransomware promptly through a trusted anti-malware service to prevent any recurring incidents outside of the Safe Mode environment.

Samples of the zScreenlocker Ransomware include notably dated information, including 2011-era copyrights, which are possible indications of the zScreenlocker Ransomware never being intended for wild deployment. However, Trojans often are distributed in unexpected ways, and keeping one's religious views to oneself may require additional attention to your PC's security.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

worldcoolfeed.com