Meds Ransomware
Malware developers are exceptionally good when it comes to distributing malware, and they tend to rely on a wide range of propagation techniques to increase the reach of their corrupted files. An easy way to get harmful software on your computer is to deal with pirated media and games or to download files from unknown or non-trustworthy sources. In this day and age, it is mandatory to keep your computer protected by an up-to-date anti-malware engine since this is the best way to prevent high-profile cyber-threats from getting a chance to harm your computer.
The '.meds' Files cannot be Decrypted for Free
One of the threats to look out for at the moment is the Meds Ransomware, a file-locker with the ability to encrypt thousands of files in a matter of minutes. By encrypting files, the threat makes it impossible to use their contents unless they are decrypted first – this can be very costly if you end up losing important work files and documents. The authors of the Meds Ransomware are hoping to strike the user's most important files, since this would increase the chances that they will agree to pay to have them decrypted.
Just like many other ransomware developers, the criminals behind the Meds Ransomware are asking to be paid via Bitcoin for their assistance. The price is set to $490, but they threaten to increase it to $980 if the transaction does not get completed within three days of the attack. Their ransom message (found in ‘_readme.txt') also contains the email addresses that the attackers use – gorentos@bitmessage.ch and gerentoshelp@firemail.cc. The same emails are used by many variants of the STOP Ransomware so that it is safe to say that the Meds Ransomware is a member of this ransomware family.
The files marked with the ‘.meds' extension are encrypted, and the only safe and free way to recover them is from a backup. If an up-to-date backup copy of your files is not available, you may need to use other data recovery techniques and software to try and undo the damage. Do not forget that trying to help from the Meds Ransomware's authors by paying is a bad idea, and you might end up tricked.
