7 Biggest Ransomware Threats of 2016

Most of us talk about Ransomware as the strongest and biggest malware threat lurking around. YES, Ransomware is wily and there seems no stoppage of infants in the family. Need not to say, almost every day a new kind of Ransomware emerges and attack innocent users in a yet newer way. But have you ever wondered what has been the foundation for these new attacks? Well, it could be the technology advancement or shall we say the aged Ransomware gives inkling to newer ones.

Amongst the huge string of Ransomware programs, generated until now, there are some that go beyond the sight. They are strongest of all Ransomware. Below is the list of top 7 biggest Ransomware threats that came up with a yet newer tactic and attacked users.

Cryptolocker: CryptoLocker Ransomware is one of the oldest and biggest Ransomware threats of the time. On top of that, it is the first Ransomware with which locker series came into existence. In Sept. 2013, CryptoLocker was first seen and until this day, no hack has been found for it. It attacks the system altogether by denying access or simply disable user from using the system. So, when you see a warning like “Your Computer has been Locked!”, recognize its CryptoLocker gushing on your system. And after that, it wouldn’t go without taking $150-$200 ransom from you.

• Locky: As the name suggests, Locky locks you out of your data (apparently this is what all Ransomware have been doing). But Locky does it by changing the file extension. That implies, once it is on your system using MS Office document or JavaScript, it will encrypt your files and will change the file extension. It uses 16 unique characters in the beginning and then ‘.locky’ as its extension. It cogs the files with RSA-2048+AES-128 encryption. Locky is especially strong as for its changes the file extension in first place and make the files invisible. Though researchers are trying to come up with a lasting decryption key for Locky. But their efforts haven’t found feat yet.

• Klepto Zepto: Klepto Zepto is a variant of Locky. Just as the Locky changes file extension, Klepto Zepto too does the same. It uses ‘.zepto’ as its file extension. Klepto Zepto Ransomware uses phishing as its tactic to infect systems. The email generally has ‘CEO’ or ‘VP of Sales’ as its subject line and document in the body. Cyber criminals must be using this since it’s an easy way to mess up with users’ minds. So as so to the spam mails, Kelpto Zepto has managed to send approximately 140,000 such emails in just 4 days. Whoever even clicked on the sly attachment, fell prey to this Ransomware.

• ZCryptor: Around mid this year, ZCryptor Ransomware emerged, possessing worm-like behavior. It, basically has the ability to spread itself via removable media devices including flash drives and network drives. But essentially it outbreaks itself through spam emails, macro malware and fake Flash Player installers. Once it is installed on a system, it leaves behind autorun.inf in removable drives. It’s a zycrypt.lnk in the start-up folder: %User Startup%\zcrypt.lnk along with a copy of itself as {Drive}: \system.exe and%appdata%\zcrypt.exe, and ultimately changes the properties of files to disguise itself in the file explorer. Furthermore, it takes considerably more ransom than any other Ransomware. The usual ransom demand of ZCryptor is 1.2 Bitcoin that is approximately $500.

• KeRanger: KeRanger was the first ever functional Ransomware that could hamper Mac’s security. Indeed, this became one of the biggest Ransomware threats. It infected Macs via Transmission, a widespread open-source platform for peer-to-peer file sharing. KeRanger’s infection was seen in early this year. Palo Alto, a Security Solutions provider reported about the entire fate taking place on Transmission version 2.9. Soon after, an alter was issued and Transmission version 2.9 was taken down.
• Petya: Petya, appeared in mid this year, is considered as the cruelest of all Ransomware. Unlike others, it not only encrypts the files but also overwrites them. Petya also comes through spam emails. But it usually lays off in enterprises systems. More often than not, it attaches two files, former one is a CV (actually a self-extracting executable file) and later is the applicant’s photo (which is generally a random one, take without the permission of the possessor. With two stages in its infection process, it not only encrypts the data but also overwrites it.
• TeslaCrypt: TeslaCrypt (which has been defunct by its makers lately) was one of strongest Ransomware. More or less, it fiddled over the system just like CryptoLocker. TeslaCrypt found its way via emails and then encrypted the files. However, it didn’t bully Windows users, rather gaming users were on its hit list. TeslaCrypt’s attacks were seen on computer games like game saves, player profiles, custom maps, recorded games, etc. But after its successfully busted over these users, it went on to outbreak itself on JPEG, PDF and word files as well.

These are a few of biggest Ransomware that may attack your system and lock you out of your data. Be vigilant against Ransomware and keep it at bay. You must ensure that all your data is backed up or protected elsewhere. You should use Right Backup app to backup your data on cloud storage. It is a nifty app with some canny features, along with being compatible with various platforms including Android, iOS, Mac and Windows. A few features of the app are listed below.

• Backup all files on cloud
• Automatic backup enabled.
• Accessible from anywhere, at any time.
• Quick Restoration

Be proactive against Ransomware by installing the app!