Gremit Ransomware

The Gremit Ransomware is a ransomware Trojan that, fortunately, seems to be still in its development stages. PC security analysts first observed the Gremit Ransomware in November 2016. PC security analysts first noted the appearance of the Gremit Ransomware in reports published on the Dark Web and in spam email attachments containing corrupted content designed to deliver the Gremit Ransomware infection. The initial release of the Gremit Ransomware will use spam emails that trick computer users into believing that the email is being sent by a social media platform such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. When victims open the attached file, it installs the Gremit Ransomware on the victim's computer. A variety of other threats use a similar technique to infiltrate victims' computers.

The Tricks Used by the Gremit Ransomware to Infect a Computer

The Gremit Ransomware disguises itself as 'Microsoft Hostmanager.exe' and uses a bogus digital certificate to infiltrate the victim's computer. The Gremit Ransomware uses an open-source AES encryption algorithm to carry out its encryption. Files that have been compromised by the Gremit Ransomware will use the '.rnsmwr' extension, making it easy to know which files have been compromised by the Gremit Ransomware. Once the Gremit Ransomware has encrypted a file, it becomes inaccessible to the computer user. The affected files will no longer be usable without access to the decryption key, which the people responsible for the Gremit Ransomware attack will hold until the ransom is paid. The Gremit Ransomware delivers its ransom note in an HTA application error message. The Gremit Ransomware's ransom note is named 'What happened?.hta,' and displays the message below on the victim's computer:

'Most of your files have been encrypted. You'll need to pay to get them back.
Do not try to do stupid things, or i'll erase your whole Harddrive forever. it's just one click for me and I don't care about your files.
How to pay?
https:///bitcoin.org/en/getting-srated'
Amount:
0.03 the BTC [19€/21$]
Send Bitcoin to the following Address:
[random characters]
You paid but you are still not able to decrypt your files?
Just turn off your computer and try again in some hours.'

The Gremit Ransomware's ransom is lower than most other ransomware Trojans substantially. However, it is not likely that people behind the Gremit Ransomware will receive a decryption utility after paying. This is a tactic designed to increase the likelihood that victims of the Gremit Ransomware will pay the ransom. In many cases, con artists will deliver a non-working decryption key, ask for more money, or simply ignore the victim altogether. PC security analysts strongly advise computer users to refrain from paying the Gremit Ransomware ransom and ensuring that preventive measures are in play so that there will be an alternate way to recover files compromised by a threat like the Gremit Ransomware.

Prevention is the Best Way to Avoid Ransomware Attacks

Files encrypted by threats like the Gremit Ransomware will remain inaccessible and are not recoverable with the means currently available. Because of this, PC security researchers strongly recommend that computer users prevent these attacks by having backups of all files. With a backup, the Gremit Ransomware attack is completely nullified. Rather than paying the ransom, victims of the Gremit Ransomware can simply restore their files from a backup and then use a reliable security program that is fully up-to-date to delete the Gremit Ransomware infection itself. More importantly, backups can help prevent a wide variety of threat attacks apart from the Gremit Ransomware. Because of this, having good backups is the first step in becoming invulnerable to the Gremit Ransomware attacks. Apart from this, computer users will need to learn to handle emails and email attachments with caution. A security program also can help computer users intercept the Gremit Ransomware attacks before their files become compromised.