AutoTRON Ransomware

PC security researchers first observed the AutoTRON Ransomware, a ransomware Trojan, on April 22, 2018. There is little to differentiate the AutoTRON Ransomware from the many other encryption ransomware Trojans that are being used to carry out attacks on computer users currently. In fact, the AutoTRON Ransomware has snippets of code from other ransomware Trojans embedded in its code, although this is not uncommon and does not indicate any connection between the AutoTRON Ransomware and other threat families. The AutoTRON Ransomware, like most threats of this type, is designed to take the victims' files hostage and then demanding that the victim pays a large ransom to recover the files that were encrypted by the attack. It is paramount to take steps to protect your files from threats like the AutoTRON Ransomware, which is becoming more common in the last few years increasingly, in large part due to the rise of RaaS services (Ransomware as a Service) and of open source ransomware engines that can be used to create these threats easily.

The AutoTRON Ransomware Targets the User-Generated Files Primarily

The AutoTRON Ransomware may be distributed by using corrupted spam email messages. This is not an uncommon way of distributing threats like the AutoTRON Ransomware. Victims will receive a spam email message with an attached Microsoft Word document that includes damaged embedded scripts that can download and install the AutoTRON Ransomware onto the victim's computer. The AutoTRON Ransomware will use an encryption algorithm to make the victim's files inaccessible, targeting the user-generated files, which may include files with the following file extensions:

.3dm, .3g2, .3gp, .7zip, .aaf, .accdb, .aep, .aepx, .aet, .ai, .aif, .as, .as3, .asf, .asp, .asx, .avi, .bmp, .c, .class, .cpp, .cs, .csv, .dat, .db, .dbf, .doc, .docb, .docm, .docx, .dot, .dotm, .dotx, .dwg, .dxf, .efx, .eps, .fla, .flv, .gif, .h, .idml, .iff, .indb, .indd, .indl, .indt, .inx, .jar, .java, .jpeg, .jpg, .js, .m3u, .m3u8, .m4u, .max, .mdb, .mid, .mkv, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .mpa, .mpeg, .mpg, .msg, .pdb, .pdf, .php, .plb, .pmd, .png, .pot, .potm, .potx, .ppam, .ppj, .pps, .ppsm, .ppsx, .ppt, .pptm, .pptx, .prel, .prproj, .ps, .psd, .py, .ra, .rar, .raw, .rb, .rtf, .sdf, .sdf, .ses, .sldm, .sldx, .sql, .svg, .swf, .tif, .txt, .vcf, .vob, .wav, .wma, .wmv, .wpd, .wps, .xla, .xlam, .xll, .xlm, .xls, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xlt, .xltm, .xltx, .xlw, .xml, .xqx, .xqx, .zip.

Once the AutoTRON Ransomware has encrypted the victim's files, the AutoTRON Ransomware will identify the blocked content by adding the file extension '.TRON” to the end of the file's name, after the original file's file extension.

How the Con Artists may Profit from Using the AutoTRON Ransomware

When the AutoTRON Ransomware encodes a file, it will not be recognized by the Windows Explorer or be opened by the victim's applications. The AutoTRON Ransomware will have taken the victim's files hostage since they will become inaccessible. The AutoTRON Ransomware will deliver a ransom note in a text file dropped onto the infected computer's desktop. This file, named 'README.txt,' will suggest that the victim write an email to 'bitcoin.change.manager@gmail.com.' Fortunately, unlike other ransomware threats, it is possible for computer users to restore the files encrypted by the AutoTRON Ransomware currently. There are public decryption programs available that should be used to accomplish it. However, this is an exception. In most cases, the victims of ransomware Trojans that carry out attacks similar to the AutoTRON Ransomware will have no recourse to recover their files. Because of this, the best protection against these threats is to have file backups on external devices. Having file backups allows computer users to recover their files without having to contact the con artists or negotiate to pay a large ransom. Apart from file backups, PC security researchers strongly advise computer users to install a strong and up-to-date anti-malware application to prevent these threats from being installed.

SpyHunter Detects & Remove AutoTRON Ransomware