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New PadCrypt Ransomware Comes with Live Chat Support and Uninstaller


Switzerland-situated Abuse.ch has discovered a ransomware strain that tells victims they will get a live chat benefit as customer service. The security company dubbed the ransomware PadCrypt that it states is currently disabled.

Bleeping Computer reports that it's the first time that any ransomware is giving live chat benefit to infected users who may seek help on the Internet in making their ransom payments followed with decrypting of their encrypted data-files. The PadCrypt is further a unique ransomware as it offers the users one software uninstaller first time ever that's taken down together with the sinister file-locking key when infection sets in. Scmagazine.com posted this, February 16, 2016.

Coming in a PDF form, the uninstaller when downloaded gets PadCrypt to start its task, i.e. encrypting the infected user's files, erasing each and every shadow volume folder, and not letting HDD recovery program to retrieve the actual non-encrypted data. The purpose of this is that victims will have to pay the money demanded to get their data-files unlocked otherwise recover them from a previously done backup that is saved offline which no ransom malware can reach.

Moreover now, PadCrypt installs HTML as well as text files carrying notifications about the ransom amount within each directory it encrypts, while displays one popup window too having the same notification that asks for a 0.8 Bitcoin payment. Meanwhile, according to Bleeping Computer's Lawrence Abrams, utility such as live chat can seemingly raise the ransom sum since victims confused with the payment procedure would get the live chat benefit and thus guidance accordingly.

Lawrence continues that lately a ransomware was observed that let users disable/enable the 'autorun' to help the malware, however, a ransomware which gives an uninstall software too, is unprecedented. Soon after executing the uninstaller, all ransom notes would be removed along with every file pertaining to the PadCrypt contamination. Worryingly though, the files encrypted would stay, Lawrence points out.

Additionally it's reported that there aren't any apparent flaws with PadCrypt's encryption, nevertheless, security investigators at Bleeping Computer and Abuse.ch are examining further to determine if any hidden vulnerabilities exist in the ransomware.

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