'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware
The 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware is an encryption ransomware Trojan that was first observed on October 30, 2018. The 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware is a hybrid of Dharma and Crysis, two well-known ransomware Trojan families. PC security researchers have identified at least six other ransomware Trojans with similar code, raising the possibility of the appearance of a new RaaS (Ransomware as a Service) platform that uses code from these two ransomware families. The 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware carries out a typical version of the ransomware tactic by damaging the victims' files and then demanding payment from the victim in exchange for the compromised data.
Symptoms of a 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware Infection
The 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware is commonly delivered to victims via spam email messages, often in the form of a compromised file attachment with embedded macro scripts that download and install the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware onto the victim's computer. Once installed, the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware uses the AES 256 encryption to make the victim's files inaccessible. The 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware targets the user-generated files for encryption, marking each encrypted file by renaming it, adding the string '.id-<8 random chars>.[syndicatexx@aol.com].xxxxx' to the end of each affected file's name. Some of the files that threats like the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware target in these attacks include:
.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 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware delivers a ransom note to the victim. This ransom note takes the form of a text file named 'FILES ENCRYPTED.txt,' which it will display on the infected computer's desktop. The 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware tinny ransom note's message reads:
'all your data has been locked us
You want to return?
write email syndicateXXX@aol.com'
Computer users should hold back from contacting the criminals responsible for the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware attack. Also, they should refrain from paying the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware ransom and supporting these criminals in creating new ransomware threats and claiming new victims.
Protecting Your Data from Threats Like the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware
The best protection against threats like the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware is to have file backups. If you have backup copies of your data stored on the cloud or an external memory device, then you can recover from a 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware attack without having to contact the criminals responsible for it. Apart from file backups, an updated security program can be capable of intercepting and removing these threats. Since the 'syndicateXXX@aol.com' Ransomware is commonly delivered using spam email messages, learning to recognize these threats and how to deal with these harmful messages is also essential.
