Arrow Ransomware

The Arrow Ransomware is a variant of the Dharma Ransomware branch of the Crysis Ransomware family. It can block your files using an AES-based encryption routine that prevents media like documents from opening and asks for a ransom before giving you a decryption solution. Having backups in secure locations with dates from before an infection can prevent this Trojan from damaging anything permanently, and most anti-malware programs should eliminate the Arrow Ransomware automatically as a threat.

Threat Actors Using Your Files for Target Practice

Ransomware-as-a-Service is remaining a highly relevant business model, both for con artist who want to use Trojans without learning anything about programming, and the victims of their attacks. A new RaaS campaign is underway using a variant of the Crysis Ransomware's Dharma Ransomware fork. Although malware analysts aren't seeing any notable shifts in the file-locking or ransoming strategies at play, the Arrow Ransomware does provide another threat for users who aren't backing their files up regularly.

Like most, other RaaS-based Trojans, the Arrow Ransomware uses the default configuration settings of the Dharma Ransomware's payload for determining how it locks files, which utilizes a sometimes non-secure, AES-based method. Although the Arrow Ransomware doesn't employ any fake Windows updates, pop-ups, or other, distracting symptoms during its encryption routine, afterward, a victim can observe any 'locked' media from the new extensions. The Arrow Ransomware adds a victim ID number, an e-mail address, and the '.arrow' extension to the end of each filename.

The Arrow Ransomware also downloads a custom TXT file from a remote server for displaying its ransom message, which asks the user to contact the e-mail address and enter into negotiations for recovering the file-unlocking solution. Paying threat actors for decryption software or keys sometimes backfires on any 'customers' who may receive inadequate or no service without any chances of getting refunds.

Sidestepping the Arrowhead that's Flying Towards Your PC

The Dharma Ransomware variants sometimes use brute-force attacks for gaining system access and damaging the files of a victim, such as a corporate network. Robust password protection and reasonable network security management can keep the cybercrooks from using brute-force software for cracking a login and infecting multiple servers. However, like any RaaS-based, file-locking Trojan, the Arrow Ransomware also can arrive by other methods, as dictated by the renting threat actors. Malware analysts also are rating e-mail spam for being notably in use as an infection vector, with encryption-based threats particularly.

Some members of the Dharma Ransomware's family are capable of having their files unlocked by the free decryption solutions made available by different members of the anti-malware industry. Always copy any encrypted content before testing these programs, which, if using an inappropriate key, may cause more damage to a locked file. However, most systems with anti-malware protection should delete the Arrow Ransomware without incurring any encryption-related data loss in the first place.

The Dharma Ransomware sees both fake variants, like the Asian BaYuCheng@yeah.net Ransomware, as well as legitimate sub-releases like the Arrow Ransomware, the Arena Ransomware, the 'Lavandos@dr.com' Ransomware or the Wallet Ransomware. The incredible ease of administrating a RaaS campaign forces all PC users to not take the importance of a good backup for granted.