Kaenlupuf Ransomware

Posted: March 9, 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:	28

First Seen:	March 9, 2017
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Kaenlupuf Ransomware is a file-encrypting Trojan developed as part of a cyber security exercise. Although the event's operators don't intend the Trojan to have a public release, there are signs that this Trojan could be circulating in the wild. PC users should seek help from cyber security researchers or use backups to restore any files that this Trojan locks, and protect their PCs with anti-malware solutions that can delete the Kaenlupuf Ransomware when they detect it.

The Cyber Security Drill that might be a Little Too Real

Threats can spring out of surprising places sometimes, and the testament of good intentions leading to harmful activity is highly visible with families like EDA2 and Hidden Tear. The X Maya 6 event, an annual challenge for Malaysian programmers and PC security experts, also may be an incidental contributor to the threat underground. Researchers developed and distributed the Kaenlupuf Ransomware within the confines of this event as an example of an archetypal, file-encrypting Trojan, but third-party con artists may have begun to use it for unintended attacks.

The Kaenlupuf Ransomware uses an AES-128 algorithm to encrypt files on your computer, blocking them without giving them any identifying labels such as an extension. The Kaenlupuf Ransomware also generates a Malaysian ransom note (which provides the basis for the Trojan's name: 'Kasi Enkrip LU Punya') that follows the standard format of demanding a Bitcoin payment to return your files via decryption.

Malware researchers also see some network activity from the Kaenlupuf Ransomware that the con artists could re-purpose for Command & Control server communications theoretically. Features related to such activity will allow a threat actor to monitor the Trojan's installation and system persistence typically, as well as transfer the decryption key for unlocking any of the victim's encoded content.

Ending a Drill Exercise without a Loss of Money or Files

Some of the samples of the Kaenlupuf Ransomware that malware experts are analyzing include data misrepresenting them as being components of the Windows operating system. Always remember that con artists can disguise files with disingenuous names, extensions, and icons, and may distribute them with crafted messages meant to trick the victims into opening them willingly. Despite its origin, the Kaenlupuf Ransomware's features are traditional accompaniments to most file-encrypting threats, and standard anti-malware products should detect it.

There is a viable decryption application for the Kaenlupuf Ransomware, and parties in need of file recovery should seek assistance from appropriate cyber security researchers to gain access to this file-decoding technology. However, con artists may make unforeseen modifications to this threat to increase the difficulty of recovery. No file-restoration strategy ever will be as reliable as having backups. Regarding any local, default backups, malware experts caution that the Trojan does delete the Windows Shadow Copy unless the user removes the Kaenlupuf Ransomware before it finishes its payload.

Threat actors inclined towards exploiting the ransom-based possibilities of threatening software aren't picky about where they find their code necessarily. Even if the Kaenlupuf Ransomware owes its existence to the best of intentions, PC users with risky Web-surfing habits may find that their files, and their Bitcoin wallets, are up for grabs.

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:

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\netsvc.exe

File name: netsvc.exe
Size: 461.82 KB (461824 bytes)
MD5: a1f580897095e5a1012d6eabcc1994fe
Detection count: 28
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: March 15, 2017