DATASTOP Ransomware
The DATASTOP Ransomware is an encryption ransomware Trojan that PC security researchers observed on July 23, 2018. The DATASTOP Ransomware carries out a typical version of this attack and has not been distributed widely. Although the DATASTOP Ransomware attack is successful in taking the victims' files hostage, it seems that the organization responsible for deploying the DATASTOP Ransomware does not have a large number of resources at their disposal. The DATASTOP Ransomware, like most, similar threats, is delivered using compromised email spam attachments.
How the DATASTOP Ransomware can Infect a Computer
The DATASTOP Ransomware uses the same modus operandi of the majority threats of its kind by infecting the victims' computers and using a strong encryption algorithm to make the victim's files inaccessible. The DATASTOP Ransomware targets the user-generated files, which may include files with the following file extensions:
.ebd, .jbc, .pst, .ost, .tib, .tbk, .bak, .bac, .abk, .as4, .asd, .ashbak, .backup, .bck, .bdb, .bk1, .bkc, .bkf, .bkp, .boe, .bpa, .bpd, .bup, .cmb, .fbf, .fbw, .fh, .ful, .gho, .ipd, .nb7, .nba, .nbd, .nbf, .nbi, .nbu, .nco, .oeb, .old, .qic, .sn1, .sn2, .sna, .spi, .stg, .uci, .win, .xbk, .iso, .htm, .html, .mht, .p7, .p7c, .pem, .sgn, .sec, .cer, .csr, .djvu, .der, .stl, .crt, .p7b, .pfx, .fb, .fb2, .tif, .tiff, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .docm, .rtf, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .ppt, .pptx, .ppsx, .txt, .cdr, .jpe, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .jiff, .jpf, .ply, .pov, .raw, .cf, .cfn, .tbn, .xcf, .xof, .key, .eml, .tbb, .dwf, .egg, .fc2, .fcz, .fg, .fp3, .pab, .oab, .psd, .psb, .pcx, .dwg, .dws, .dxe, .zip, .zipx, .7z, .rar, .rev, .afp, .bfa, .bpk, .bsk, .enc, .rzk, .rzx, .sef, .shy, .snk, .accdb, .ldf, .accdc, .adp, .dbc, .dbx, .dbf, .dbt, .dxl, .edb, .eql, .mdb, .mxl, .mdf, .sql, .sqlite, .sqlite3, .sqlitedb, .kdb, .kdbx, .1cd, .dt, .erf, .lgp, .md, .epf, .efb, .eis, .efn, .emd, .emr, .end, .eog, .erb, .ebn, .ebb, .prefab, .jif, .wor, .csv, .msg, .msf, .kwm, .pwm, .ai, .eps, .abd, .repx, .oxps, .dot.
The DATASTOP Ransomware uses the AES encryption to make the victim's files inaccessible. Once the DATASTOP Ransomware has finished encrypting the victim's files, which will be marked with the file extension '.DATASTOP,' the DATASTOP Ransomware will deliver a ransom note both in a text file and in the command line application in Windows. The DATASTOP Ransomware's ransom note is contained in a text file named '!!!DATA_RESTORE!!!.txt' and reads as follows:
'All your important files were encrypted on this PC.
All files with .DATASTOP extension are encrypted.
Encryption was produced using unique private key RSA-1024 generated for this computer.
To decrypt your files, you need to obtain private key + decrypt software.
To retrieve the private key and decrypt software, you need to contact us by email decryptiondata@bitmessage.ch send us an email your !!!DATA_RESTORE!!!.txt file and wait for further instructions.
For you to be sure, that we can decrypt your files – you can send us a 1-3 any not very big encrypted files and we will send you back it in a original form FREE.
Your personal id: –
E-mail address to contact us:
decryptiondata@bitmessage.ch
Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
decryptiondata@india.com'
The DATASTOP Ransomware's ransom note instructions should be ignored, and the affected users should refuse to pay this threats' ransom amount.
Protecting Your Data from Threats Like the DATASTOP Ransomware
The best way to protect your data from threats like the DATASTOP Ransomware is to have file backups. This way, computer users can restore any compromised files from the backup copy. Apart from file backups, computer users should use anti-malware programs to scan their computers and prevent any infections like the DATASTOP Ransomware. A combination of file backups, strong online safety measures, and reliable security software should be enough to ensure that your PC and data are safe from encryption ransomware attacks like the DATASTOP Ransomware, which are becoming more common in the last few years increasingly.
