Scarab-kitty Ransomware

The Scarab-kitty Ransomware is a part of the Scarab Ransomware family, which consists of both English and Russian-based branches. The Scarab-kitty Ransomware can delete backups, block files by encrypting them and create ransoming messages on your desktop. Have your anti-malware products remove the Scarab-kitty Ransomware at the first opportunity before recovering your work through their last, secure backups.

This Cat Has a Windows Security Scheme for Claws

The Scarab Ransomware is a group of file-locking Trojans with a well-established history of attacking files for ransoms. This dual-language family has no public decryption service and operates, like any Ransomware-as-a-Service, by giving third-party criminals access for a fee or profit percentage. The result is threats like the Scarab-Turkish Ransomware, the Scarab-Bin2 Ransomware, the Scarab-DD Ransomware, the Scarab-Skype Ransomware or the Scarab-kitty Ransomware. However, this last Trojan has a new tactic for any victims.

The Scarab-kitty Ransomware can encrypt content such as Word and Excel documents and spreadsheets, some archives, and other media, particularly, picture formats. The use of 'kitty' extensions helps any victims with identifying the encrypted content, which can no longer open in their related programs. There also is some danger of the Scarab-kitty Ransomware deleting the Shadow Volume Copies, which malware experts point out as a countermeasure against default data-restoration procedures in Windows environments.

However, the Scarab-kitty Ransomware is more noteworthy for the contents of its ransoming message. Somewhat uniquely, the Scarab-kitty Ransomware pretends that it's an official security alert from Windows that is protecting your files from the attack of 'an unauthorized [sic] user.' Besides asking for a Bitcoin or DASH payment for a decryption service, it also tells the users that they should change their passwords. The e-mail mimics a support address, which makes the threat actors into con artists, as well as extortionists.

Declawing a Trojan Family's Kitten

If it keeps to the same exploits as its ancestors, the Scarab-kitty Ransomware will compromise the Windows systems after remote attackers break vulnerable login credentials. Keep your passwords lengthy, complex, and unique for helping them withstand brute-force attacks. The users, in general, and network admins, specifically, also, should maintain great care around e-mail attachments and links. Most spam messages carry file-locker Trojans with disguises that imitate company finance documentation or communications.

One AV vendor is providing limited, premium decryption help for reversing the encryption of the Scarab Ransomware family. This cure, however, isn't compatible with all variants necessarily, and may or may not work with the Scarab-kitty Ransomware. A backup on other device is the best protection against this threat that involves deleting the Scarab-kitty Ransomware proactively with an anti-malware program.

The Scarab-kitty Ransomware is a cat with a lot to tell, but its facts are lies on their face. Falling for a Trojan's ransom note tactic is a self-induced problem that the victims provoke, both by unwise security habits and gullibility.