_readme Ransomware
The _readme Ransomware is an encryption ransomware Trojan that was first observed on November 12, 2018. The _readme Ransomware is designed to attack small and medium businesses. The _readme Ransomware carries out a typical version of this tactic, compromising the victims' files and then demanding a ransom from the victim. Typically, the _readme Ransomware is installed by taking advantage of poorly protected open ports online. The _readme Ransomware can also spread through social media, especially through spam email campaigns and messages on networks such as LinkedIn.
Symptoms of the _readme Ransomware Trojan
The _readme Ransomware targets the user-generated files, which may include a wide variety of media file types, databases and documents. The following are examples of the types of files that threats like the _readme Ransomware target in these attacks:
.jpg, .jpeg, .raw, .tif, .gif, .png, .bmp, .3dm, .max, .accdb, .db, .dbf, .mdb, .pdb, .sql, .dwg, .dxf, .cpp, .cs, .h, .php, .asp, .rb, .java, .jar, .class, .py, .js, .aaf, .aep, .aepx, .plb, .prel, .prproj, .aet, .ppj, .psd, .indd, .indl, .indt, .indb, .inx, .idml, .pmd, .xqx, .xqx, .ai, .eps, .ps, .svg, .swf, .fla, .as3, .as, .txt, .doc, .dot, .docx, .docm, .dotx, .dotm, .docb, .rtf, .wpd, .wps, .msg, .pdf, .xls, .xlt, .xlm, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm, .xlsb, .xla, .xlam, .xll, .xlw, .ppt, .pot, .pps, .pptx, .pptm, .potx, .potm, .ppam, .ppsx, .ppsm, .sldx, .sldm, .wav, .mp3, .aif, .iff, .m3u, .m4u, .mid, .mpa, .wma, .ra, .avi, .mov, .mp4, .3gp, .mpeg, .3g2, .asf, .asx, .flv, .mpg, .wmv, .vob, .m3u8, .dat, .csv, .efx, .sdf, .vcf, .xml, .ses, .qbw, .qbb, .qbm, .qbi, .qbr , .cnt, .des, .v30, .qbo, .ini, .lgb, .qwc, .qbp, .aif, .qba, .tlg, .qbx, .qby , .1pa, .qpd, .txt, .set, .iif, .nd, .rtp, .tlg, .wav, .qsm, .qss, .qst, .fx0, .fx1, .mx0, .fpx, .fxr, .fim, .ptb, .ai, .pfb, .cgn, .vsd, .cdr, .cmx, .cpt, .csl, .cur, .des, .dsf, .ds4, , .drw, .eps, .ps, .prn, .gif, .pcd, .pct, .pcx, .plt, .rif, .svg, .swf, .tga, .tiff, .psp, .ttf, .wpd, .wpg, .wi, .raw, .wmf, .txt, .cal, .cpx, .shw, .clk, .cdx, .cdt, .fpx, .fmv, .img, .gem, .xcf, .pic, .mac, .met, .pp4, .pp5, .ppf, .nap, .pat, .ps, .prn, .sct, .vsd, .wk3, .wk4, .xpm, .zip, .rar.
The _readme Ransomware will mark all compromised files targeted by its attack by adding the string '_readme' to the end of each file's name. The _readme Ransomware delivers a ransom note in the form of a text file. The _readme Ransomware's ransom note is contained in a file named 'TERMS.XLSX._readme.,' which contains the following text:
'Hello [company name],
Your network was hacked and encrypted.
No free decryption software is available on the web.
Email us at mary.weston@protonmail.com (or) beryl.mclennan@tutanota.de to get the ransom amount.
Please, use your company name as the email subject.
TAIL:[random characters]
KEY:[random characters]'
Protecting Your Data From Threats Like the _readme Ransomware
The best protection against threats like the _readme Ransomware is to have file backups stored on protected places. However, the files backup should be out of reach from malware. Malware researchers recommend that computer users restore any files that were compromised by replacing them with a backup copy since it may not be possible to decrypt the files compromised by the _readme Ransomware attack currently. Apart from file backups, computer users should ensure that they have a reliable security program to protect their Pcs. By using security software and file backups, you can ensure that all files are safe from the _readme Ransomware attack. Also, malware researchers recommend that computer users enable security measures to protect their computers from these intrusions. Having strong passwords and all software fully updated can ensure that the computer users' data remains safe from intrusion and prevent the _readme Ransomware from being installed on a computer and compromising victims' files.
