Ransomware is one of the most common cyber threats that users face nowadays. According to IT security audit experts, every few days groups of threat actors launch new campaigns to infect users, encrypt their files and demand ransoms in exchange for compromised information access.
Although there are dozens of variants of encryption malware, one of the most used and dangerous is the one known as GandCrab ransomware, used in multiple attack campaigns recently. However, it seems that the lifespan of this malware has finally ended, as the FBI has publicly disclosed the master keys to remove GandCrab encryption, so that victims can regain access to the information compromised by hackers using any version of this malicious software.
According to IT security audit experts, GandCrab was in the beginning a very useful tool for threat actors, as it included novel functions and was constantly updated to improve its features to evade detection, make it difficult to scan and keep infectimg thousands of users worldwide.
The developers of this malware began their activities at the beginning of 2018, since then, multiple and increasingly powerful versions of GandCrab were created (in total five variants of the original version were detected); however, a couple of months ago the developers announced the closure of any work related to this ransomware, which helped them make considerable profits for more than a year and a half.
Today, at last, IT security audit experts announced that it is possible to counter any of GandCrab’s versions, as the FBI has released all the master keys to remove its encryption. This finding is the product of joint work between the agency, cybersecurity firms and police in other countries where the ransomware was detected.
Although GandCrab no longer poses a danger to users, specialists from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) note that there are multiple information security threats still active. Users should not neglect their systems, as threat actors are constantly improving their tools to perform cyberattacks capable of making us have a hard time.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities.
