Calum Ransomware
Malware researchers are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to ransomware threats. Cybersecurity experts attempt to dissect data-locking Trojans and release free decryption tools publicly, but this is not always possible. Despite the numerous victims of ransomware who have been saved by the free decryption utilities published by malware experts, there are far more users who never manage to recover their data. Among the newest uncovered ransomware threats is the Calum Ransomware.
Propagation and Encryption
Upon studying the Calum Ransomware, malware researchers found that this is a variant of the Phobos Ransomware. The infection techniques utilized in the spreading of the Calum Ransomware are not known yet. Some researchers believe that the authors of the Calum Ransomware may have used the most popular propagation method when it comes to threats of this kind – mass spam email campaigns. This means that the attackers spam as many fake emails as they can to random unsuspecting users trying to convince them to open the attached file. The attachment is usually a macro-laced document that will infect the target computer upon launching. Of course, this remains as speculation since there are countless other propagation methods that are used by ransomware authors. Upon infecting a computer, the Calum Ransomware will search for files that are likely to be found on the system of any regular user – videos, music, photos, documents, spreadsheets, etc. All the data that fits the Calum Ransomware's criteria will be locked using an encryption algorithm. The file names of the locked files will be changed as this threat appends a new extension to the affected files – '.id[
The Ransom Note
The Calum Ransomware will drop a ransom message in the shape of two files called 'info.txt' and 'info.hta.' The attackers demand a ransom fee from their victims and promise to send them a decryption key that is meant to reverse the damage that has been done to their data. The authors of the Calum Ransomware want to be paid in Bitcoin, which is not surprising, as most cyber crooks prefer cryptocurrency because this allows them to keep their anonymity and avoid persecution by law enforcement. The attackers have provided the victims with an email address where they can be contacted – ‘keysfordecryption@airmail.cc.' For users who prefer instant messaging as means of communication, the creators of the Calum Ransomware have given out their Jabber contact details – ‘keysfordecryption@jabb3r.org.'
Ideally, you should avoid any contact with cyber crooks. They will attempt to sweet talk you into giving them your money and promise to provide you with the decryption key you need to unlock your data, but it is very likely that they will never deliver on these promises. This is why we would recommend you to invest in a legitimate anti-spyware application that will not only remove the Calum Ransomware from your PC but will also ensure that you do not end up with a similar problem again in the future.
