Apocalypse Ransomware

Posted: June 15, 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.

Threat Level:	10/10
Infected PCs:	0

First Seen:	June 15, 2016
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Apocalypse Ransomware is a file encryption Trojan with the ability to modify the contents of your hard drive by rearranging the internal file data, based on a sophisticated algorithm. These attacks always are implemented with a focus on making their victims pay fraudsters a ransom in return for receiving a data-decrypting service, although such services may never materialize. Rather than using expensive and risky measures of data restoration, malware experts advise removing the Apocalypse Ransomware through standardized anti-malware techniques and keeping backups of your hard drive's contents.

A Windows Update Leading to Trouble

The dramatically-named Apocalypse Ransomware uses a combination of data-encrypting extortion and screen-locking tactics to force its victims into paying ransoms. Although its campaign's distribution strategies are not yet fully analyzed, malware researchers implicate spam e-mail for Trojan installations of this type commonly. At first, the Apocalypse Ransomware shows no symptoms when inserting its body into the Windows startup process (with the disguise of being a Windows Update program).

The Apocalypse Ransomware is slightly deviant for including a potentially enormous quantity of files in its attacks. When scanning your PC, the Apocalypse Ransomware encrypts all content not falling within a dozen extensions (mostly related to executable programs) or contained inside your Windows directory. While this lack of discrimination increases the time the Apocalypse Ransomware needs to finish its attack, it also can damage massive amounts of data on any PC theoretically.

With its encryption is concluded, the Apocalypse Ransomware flags each affected file with a new extension and restarts your computer, for displaying a ransom message. Its method of image display also locks the user out of their desktop shortcuts and the Windows TaskBar. The result is a situation where most PC users may feel forced to pay the Apocalypse Ransomware's fee, not just to save their data, but to salvage a semblance of access to their computers.

Coping After Your Hard Drive's Personal the Apocalypse

The Apocalypse Ransomware's large scope means that the window of opportunity for terminating it before the Apocalypse Ransomware finishes its attacks is somewhat wider than with most file encryption Trojans, which tend to specialize in limited numbers of formats in individual locations. Malware experts also spotted at least one flaw in the Apocalypse Ransomware's design that allows victims to circumvent its ransom lockscreen through Safe Mode. Once in Safe Mode, users will need to take extra steps for disabling the Apocalypse Ransomware's active memory process.

Paying ransoms can backfire on victims hoping to retrieve their data safely. Malware like the Apocalypse Ransomware suffers from flaws that make decryption impossible occasionally. Even when such problems aren't present, the con artists have no particular reason to restore the encrypted data, once they receive your ransom.

Researchers at Emsisoft are offering a free tool for decrypting all files damaged by the Apocalypse Ransomware, although responses on successful decryption attempts are mixed. For additional certainty in data preservation, malware experts emphasize the practical solution of using backups not kept on your PC. For the Apocalypse Ransomware, itself, your anti-malware programs should experience no problems eliminating it from within Safe Mode.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

file.exe

File name: file.exe
Size: 18.43 KB (18432 bytes)
MD5: c4e09e15d026ea1e1a4a75a506e6de47
Detection count: 84
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: November 17, 2016

Billy's Apocalypse Ransomware