STOP-roland Ransomware

The STOP-roland Ransomware is a part of the STOP Ransomware or Djvu Ransomware family, a series of file-locking Trojans that different criminals rent for deploying with minor customizations. Users can expect the STOP-roland Ransomware's attacks including blocking their media files, as well as fake Windows updates and ransom notes. A reliable backup schedule will help with rolling back any damages from infections, and most anti-malware services should remove the STOP-roland Ransomware as a threat.

The Song of Roland Gets a New Twist

A file-locker Trojan borrowing the name of a famous knight-errant of centuries-old minstrelry is getting ready for a campaign of extorting money after sabotaging files. The STOP-roland Ransomware is a member of the increasingly-numerous family of the STOP Ransomware and shows the usual trends of a Ransomware-as-a-Service program for customizing its addresses and cosmetic elements, only. Any readers that are staying aware of this family of file-locking Trojans latest formats will recognize the STOP-roland Ransomware's payload, which depends on a Windows updating tactic.

The STOP-roland Ransomware uses one of two algorithms for encrypting the user's documents, images, and other formats of digital media: an offline version and an online version, the latter of which, it retrieves from a C&C server. While it locks these files and adds its 'roland' extension to them, it keeps victims from interfering by displaying a distracting pop-up that claims that Windows is updating, including a percentage progress bar. Users can find similar tactics throughout other members of its family, such as the most-recent Tronas Ransomware, or the older Blower Ransomware, the Promos Ransomware and the Rumba Ransomware.

The STOP-roland Ransomware is in development at version 060, but malware researchers recommend treating it as being fully capable of causing related security issues that are traditional with the STOP Ransomware family. These additional attacks include blocking security-related websites like Microsoft.com by changing the Hosts file, disabling Windows security features, wiping the Restore Points, and accessing network shares for encryption.

Putting a Knight's Quest for Files to an End

Ransomware-as-a-Service families depend on the distribution and installation exploits of multiple criminals, which hinders the prediction models for the STOP-roland Ransomware's future attacks. In general, malware experts find file-locking Trojans taking advantage of vulnerabilities in outdated server software, corrupted e-mail attachments, and non-secure logins that they can brute-force for getting access to a PC. Although the STOP-roland Ransomware is a Windows-only threat, file-locking Trojans exist for other operating systems, as well.

Server administrations can update their software for taking away most of the vulnerabilities that criminals use for dropping threats, while an appropriately-complex password blocks a brute-force infection vector. E-mail attachments always should have scans from appropriate security tools before opening, especially, ones that match the formats of often-unsafe content, such as Word documents with macros or PDFs. Positively, malware experts are finding strong detection rates for removing the STOP-roland Ransomware from most anti-malware services.

In the time of knights, the best defense against plate armor was firing with a bow before they could get into striking range. Similarly, your ideal protection against the STOP-roland Ransomware is backing up your files long before it starts encrypting anything.