GandCrab4 Ransomware

Posted: July 3, 2018

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:	8/10
Infected PCs:	12

First Seen:	October 28, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The GandCrab4 Ransomware is a new version of the GandCrab Ransomware, a family of file-locking Trojans that its authors market under Ransomware-as-a-Service strategies. Due to being available 'for hire' to other criminals, its arrival methods on your PC may be unpredictable, but e-mails and brute-force attacks are traditional techniques. Having backups for protecting your files, and anti-malware products for deleting the GandCrab4 Ransomware immediately, are the defensive mechanisms that are most viable against this Trojan.

A Trojan that's Back with Both More and Less to Offer

Updates to Trojan families don't always follow the same development paths that one expects of 'normal' software. Although upgrading and adding features can be useful for threat actors, they also find it equally valuable to remove them or change other characteristics purely for the sake of confusing AV analytical tools. Such appears to be so with the newest version of the GandCrab Ransomware's family, the GandCrab4 Ransomware.

Unfortunately, for any users who aren't backing their files up habitually, the GandCrab4 Ransomware continues locking documents and additional media formats with a secure encryption attack. However, it uses a Salsa20 streaming cipher for doing so, instead of traditional choices like AES, XOR or RSA. Further examination by malware researchers is necessary for determining whether the GandCrab4 Ransomware's variation of encryption uses 256 or 128-bit keys (Salsa20 supports both options, but defaults to the former).

The GandCrab4 Ransomware does use minor changes to the names of its 'locked file' extensions and its ransoming messages. These updates are typical of a file-locking Trojan's next version release. However, its authors also are removing the desktop background-hijacking feature and the Command & Control server functionality from the GandCrab4 Ransomware. Potentially, the alteration could obfuscate the GandCrab4 Ransomware's identity, help it remain hidden during its attacks, or facilitate compromising PCs that guard their network connections securely, such as by using restrictive firewall rules.

Releasing Your Files from a Pincer Attack

The GandCrab4 Ransomware is distinguishable from old versions of its family, like the GandCrab2 Ransomware and the GandCrab3 Ransomware readily, by its removed features. Malware experts also recommend noting the extension that the Trojan uses ('example-locked-file.jpg.KRAB') and the name of any Notepad TXT-format ransoming messages. Paying the ransom should be relegated to the last resort option, if possible, and PC users should be careful about backing up any files that they can't afford losing to these encryption-based attacks especially.

Ransomware-as-a-Service gives criminals access to file-locker Trojans like the GandCrab4 Ransomware for distributing in whatever ways they prefer. Spam e-mails and brute-force hacks against non-secure network passwords are responsible for a majority of attacks by these threats. Users should respond to infections by uninstalling the GandCrab4 Ransomware with a robust anti-malware solution and having their files recovered through a backup that the Trojan has yet to compromise such as a cloud server or USB.

Taking away capabilities from a functional program may seem counter-intuitive, but it can help the GandCrab4 Ransomware avoid previous AV detection efforts. While criminals continue exercising their programming creativity, innocent PC users should keep on backing their media up and minding what they download.

Use SpyHunter to Detect and Remove PC Threats

If you are concerned that malware or PC threats similar to GandCrab4 Ransomware may have infected your computer, we recommend you start an in-depth system scan with SpyHunter. SpyHunter is an advanced malware protection and remediation application that offers subscribers a comprehensive method for protecting PCs from malware, in addition to providing one-on-one technical support service.

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Why can't I open any program including SpyHunter? You may have a malware file running in memory that kills any programs that you try to launch on your PC. Tip: Download SpyHunter from a clean computer, copy it to a USB thumb drive, DVD or CD, then install it on the infected PC and run SpyHunter's malware scanner.

GandCrab4 Ransomware

Threat Metric

A Trojan that's Back with Both More and Less to Offer

Releasing Your Files from a Pincer Attack

Use SpyHunter to Detect and Remove PC Threats

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