Deos Ransomware

Posted: May 26, 2017

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:	44

First Seen:	May 26, 2017
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Deos Ransomware is a modified version of Hidden Tear, a Trojan that encrypts your files and creates messages asking for money to restore them. For non-consensual encryption attacks, malware researchers recommend trying all free data restoration strategies before paying a ransom, which may not give you your files necessarily. Some anti-malware utilities also may intercept the Trojan during the install attempt or be able to remove the Deos Ransomware before it finishes encrypting all intended media.

New Names on a not Very Hidden Tear

The routine abuse of previously-free code from the Hidden Tear project is continuing apace with another Trojan campaign using it as a platform for launching more file-ransoming attacks. This latest threat, named for its author, Deos, has yet to finish development but does show the expected indicators of being capable of both ransom-based displays and causing file damage. Although some of its symptoms resemble those of similar threats, malware experts estimate no links between this Deos Ransomware and old threats besides the original Hidden Tear.

The Deos Ransomware targets the same, small list of extensions as per the norm for most variations on Hidden Tear: documents, pictures, and various formats of Microsoft Office-related media, such as spreadsheets. The Deos Ransomware scans the compromised system for files fitting these extension types and encrypts them with what malware experts estimate is an AES or Rijndael algorithm, making their data illegible. The Deos Ransomware signifies this locked content with the '.locked' extension, which is popular among different file-encrypting threats currently.

Deos also customized the ransom instructions that the Deos Ransomware loads afterward, although some elements (such as the countdown ticker) appear to be not complete yet. Like most file-encrypting attacks, the Deos Ransomware requests money only in Bitcoins before claiming to decrypt your files. By using a cryptocurrency, the Trojan's threat actor halts any refunds or other legal protections that the buyer would be entitled to in more traditional other currencies.

Examples of When not to Take What You Read at Face Value

The Deos Ransomware contains the usual warnings most threat actors provide against any attempts at decryption through methods not requiring paying them. However, the Deos Ransomware's family of Hidden Tear is more vulnerable to decoding than competing ones significantly, and free decryption software could help you unlock your files. Malware analysts also might remind any readers that any threats of this category have barely any capacity for targeting cloud or peripheral-based backups.

Since the Deos Ransomware's development phase isn't complete, the security sector only can speculate on how its author means to distribute it. Commonplace infection vectors for file-encoding Trojans like the Deos Ransomware often exploit e-mail spamming campaigns and disguised documents with drive-by-download exploits. While the Deos Ransomware is not likely for targeting business entities, malware analysts recommend that all users remove the Deos Ransomware with appropriate anti-malware tools for re-securing a compromised PC.

Unfortunately, threat actors like Deos continue using Hidden Tear's template for their attacks because it's a lucrative and efficient one. As long as those traits remain factual, anyone with files they want to save should consider just how much a backup can do to prevent Trojans like the Deos Ransomware from causing problems.

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:

dir\Locker.exe

File name: Locker.exe
Size: 114.68 KB (114688 bytes)
MD5: 565eeb45c776d2a17a10581931159c08
Detection count: 52
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: dir
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: May 29, 2017