'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware

The 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware is a file-locker Trojan from the Crysis Ransomware's family, which provides variants of the program to criminals for holding digital media hostage. Its attacks can remove your backups, block content like documents or pictures and deliver ransoming messages for the decryptor. The risks entailed in paying should encourage victims using backups whenever possible, and most anti-malware services should delete the 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware as a hazard to your computer.

Software Going Berserk on Your Files

The cyber-security industry is catching another version of the infamous Ransomware-as-a-Service family, the Crysis Ransomware, as of late March. While the new e-mail addresses and extensions imply a different criminal's renting the program for his or her attacks, the fundamentals of the 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware's payload remain similar to those of old members like the btc@fros.cc Ransomware, the decrypt@fros.cc Ransomware, the guardbtc@cock.li Ransomware, the Siddhiup2@india.com Ransomware and the Radxlove7@india.com Ransomware. The vital difference between the new campaign and those of its oldest ancestors, however, is that its encryption isn't breakable by free tools.

Like many RaaS campaigns, the 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware's attacks use a variant of the AES and RSA encryptions for locking the infected PC's files securely and can do so for sabotaging Word's DOCs, JPGs, RAR archives and other content. The 'bk666' extension that the Trojan adds to their names is one of the few differences between it and its familial members, which helps victims search for and isolate any affected media. Only the campaign's admin holds the relevant decryption information for unlocking these files, which they sell for a ransom.

The versions of the 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware's family that malware experts see in 2019 are using two formats of messages for encouraging the negotiations: one text file and one advanced Web page. Besides updating the address, there's no confirmation of the 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware's making any changes to these instructions, which solicit payments through Bitcoins or another cryptocurrency typically. Criminals may, however, accept the payment and refuse any service or provide an inaccurate decryptor that will not unlock anything.

Avoiding the Dreaded Number's Stamp on Your Media

Unlike earlier examples of the Crysis Ransomware, any attacks by the 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware aren't solvable with freeware decryption tools. This issue is commonplace within Ransomware-as-a-Service operations, and malware experts recommend mitigating it by keeping backups outside of a local or network-shared drive. Bugs or other problems with the 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware's payload may facilitate some advanced data recovery options, but, by default, the Trojan always will remove Windows' Restore Point information.

The 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware's installer's name of 'exp1mod' provides no substantial evidence on how it's distributing itself, and the threat actor may be withholding any live circulation until he finishes testing more, concealment-related exploits. Criminals can drop file-locker Trojans after brute-forcing a login for a server, use corrupted e-mail attachments for tricking victims into opening a hostile file or contaminate torrents and advertising networks. Strong anti-malware software can protect your PC from most of these attacks and always should delete the 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware automatically.

The 'berserk666@tutanota.com' Ransomware's use of the apocalyptic number '666' is sensational, but its attacks are little short of an apocalypse against your files. Just like the actual, Biblical event, the optimal survival strategy is saving yourself – and your work – beforehand instead of afterward.