Kovasoh Ransomware
A brand-new file-encrypting Trojan has been spotted by cybersecurity researchers recently. Its name is Kovasoh Ransomware, and it belongs to the STOP Ransomware family.
Propagation and Encryption
It has not yet been disclosed what the infection vectors used by the authors of the Kovasoh Ransomware to propagate their Trojan are. However, some believe that spam emails containing infected attachments, bogus software updates, and pirated copies of common applications may be some of the propagation methods employed in the spreading of the Kovasoh Ransomware. When this ransomware threat infiltrates your computer, it will start the attack with a scan. The purpose of the scan is to locate the files, which will later be encrypted. When this is done, the Kovasoh Ransomware will start locking the targeted data. Once the Kovasoh Ransomware encrypts a file, it alters its name by adding a ‘.kovasoh’ extension. This means that a photo, which was named ‘Onyx-Eyes.jpeg’ originally, will be renamed to ‘Onyx-Eyes.jpeg.kovasoh.’
The Ransom Note
Next, the Kovasoh Ransomware will drop a ransom note called ‘_readme.txt.’ The note states:
’ATTENTION!
Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees you have?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.
You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:
https://we.tl/t-o7ClqIH7RS
Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that’s price for you is $490.
Please note that you’ll never restore your data without payment.
Check your e-mail "Spam" or "Junk" folder if you don’t get answer more than 6 hours.
To get this software you need write on our e-mail:
gorentos@bitmessage.ch
Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
gorentos2@firemail.cc
Our Telegram account:
@datarestore
Mark Data Restore
Your personal ID:’
The attackers demand a fee of $980, but they claim to cut the price by half, down to $490, if you contact them within 72 hours after the attack taking place. The creators of the Kovasoh Ransomware offer to unlock one file free of charge as proof that they have a decryption key. There are two emails provided for contact ‘gorentos@bitmessage.ch’ and ‘gorentos2@firemail.cc.’ The attackers also have given out their Telegram contact details @datarestore.
It is never a good idea to pay cybercriminals. Your money will likely go to fund their criminal activities in the future, and there is no guarantee that you will get anything in return. A safer approach would be to download and install a legitimate anti-malware application, which will wipe off the Kovasoh Ransomware from your PC. You also can attempt to recover some of the lost files via a third-party data-recovery tool.
