'.Bear File Extension' Ransomware

The '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware is an update of the Dharma Ransomware, which is a sub-division of the larger Crysis Ransomware family. These file-locking Trojans can encrypt your files to stop their opening, display ransoming messages in several formats, and remove your default backups. Although there is no free decryptor for this threat, you can preserve your files with non-local backups while having anti-malware products isolate or delete the '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware for your PC's protection.

A Trojan that Thinks It's Smarter than You

A file-locking Trojan from the Dharma Ransomware fork of the Crysis Ransomware is pretending that it's software for smart cards, with intentions of compromising Windows PCs for ransoming purposes. Although the '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware's disguise is, more likely than not, separate from its initial infection techniques and infiltration mechanisms, it does help with the threat's system persistence with some plausible deniability. The rest of the '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware's payload demonstrates that it's another, barely-changed variant of this Ransomware-as-a-Service business.

The first stage of the '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware's installer is a fake DLL file that uses Microsoft-referencing credentials, although it doesn't have a corresponding digital signature. It unpacks itself into an executable with less obfuscation against the threat-detecting rules in broad use in the anti-malware industry, and uses secure encryption standards for blocking your media files, similarly to the '.bip File Extension' Ransomware, the 'blacklist@clock.li' Ransomware, the 'getdataback@fros.cc' Ransomware or the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware.

Infection symptoms that malware researchers also confirm as remaining present include:

• The '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware is capable of wiping default backup data, such as the Windows Shadow Volume Copies.
The Trojan creates two ransom notes for the victim: one Notepad TXT file and one HTA (or advanced HTML) pop-up. Both of them provide e-mail addresses for negotiating with the threat actor, who demands Bitcoins for his data-unlocking service.
• The '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware adds both the extension from its name and an ID to the filenames of the content that it locks. Victims should note that the name changes don't correlate with the encryption that keeps the files from opening in the appropriate programs.

Outsmarting the Smart Card Trojan

As with the other versions of the Crysis Ransomware RaaS, the '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware may be deploying itself with the help of Remote Desktop vulnerabilities, brute-force attacks, or e-mail. Spam e-mails may disguise an attachment, such as a Word or PDF document, for triggering exploits that compromise the PC. Adequate network password protection also is integral to blocking the usual infection vectors for this family and admins should monitor their port and RDP settings for issues.

Because of its removing backups and lacking a public decryption resource, the '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware may block any documents and similar media on the PC permanently. Users should refrain from transferring Bitcoins for a black market decryptor, as long as they have any other options, since the threat actor may take the money without giving the decryption solution. Anti-malware tools are deleting the '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware safely at high-rates, although the industry-wide statistics on detecting the first-stage DLLs are less optimal.

The Ransomware-as-a-Service sector benefits from lazy network security and storage practices. As long as users don't protect their work, malware experts will continue catching updates like the '.Bear File Extension' Ransomware from around the world.