Nulltica Ransomware

Posted: September 5, 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:	26

First Seen:	September 5, 2017
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Nulltica Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that also includes other features besides blocking content for ransom payments, such as distributing itself on the Facebook website and compromising your login details. Although free decryption software may recover your files, malware experts advise making backups to eliminate any dependency on decoding-based solutions. Anti-malware products that can fight the Hidden Tear family previously also may delete the Nulltica Ransomware at any point safely.

How Trying to Play Minecraft Gets Your Files Mined Instead

September is proving a productive month for threat actors working with Hidden Tear, which is becoming the basis of a variety of diverse threats, albeit always ones focusing on encryption as their primary purpose. One new variant, the Nulltica Ransomware, is blurring the classification line between Trojans and worms by also including a built-in distribution feature using Facebook. The installer for this threat also implements another layer of social engineering by pretending to be a Minecraft launcher.

The Nulltica Ransomware's core executable is circulating as a fake version of Tlauncher, a pirate launcher application that lets users play 'unofficial' versions of Minecraft such as discontinued patches or betas. The Nulltica Ransomware monitors the infected PC's Web-browsing activity for any Facebook access and hijacks their accounts to post links to its installer. However, this is only the secondary result of an infection; the Nulltica Ransomware's primary one is data encryption and extortion.

The Trojan may use encryption to lock media on your PC that includes documents, archives, spreadsheets, audio, or pictures, all of which also acquire new '.lock' extensions. Malware analysts also find an unusual degree of sophistication present in the Nulltica Ransomware's delivery of a ransom note, which eschews the tradition of a Notepad text for an interactive pop-up window containing a configurable field for the threat actor's Bitcoin wallet. The instructions demand payment to the address to unlock your files, but the author leaves no additional means of communicating for help.

Nullifying Hidden Tear's Gamer Outreach Program

Using the decryption option the Nulltica Ransomware recommends for unlocking your files comes with default risks that make it a non-ideal, at best, solution. Con artists often take their crypto currency payments without giving any help back, and the decryption programs that they provide may malfunction and provoke more corruption of file data. Historically, Hidden Tear's variants are vulnerable to free decryptors, and malware experts recommend testing them, or seeking help from an available security researcher, before paying any money.

The Nulltica Ransomware's distribution model also creates other security issues besides preserving your media, which most users should do by keeping external backups. If this threat does compromise your PC, disable the Internet access and run an appropriate anti-malware product for uninstalling the Nulltica Ransomware. Changing Facebook passwords, and other login details can help any victims re-secure their accounts and prevent this Trojan from spreading further.

The nature of social media empowers all of its users, regardless of their motives. A con artist using Facebook to trick victims into installing the latest version of Hidden Tear is just one of multiple reasons why you shouldn't believe every link that you see on the Web.

Nulltica Ransomware

Threat Metric

How Trying to Play Minecraft Gets Your Files Mined Instead

Nullifying Hidden Tear's Gamer Outreach Program

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