History And Development Of TeslaCrypt Ransomware The Virus
TeslaCrypt is an encryption program for files that targets all Windows versions, including Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 7. This ransomware application was first released at the end of February 2015. TeslaCrypt infects your computer and looks for data files to encode.
Once all files that contain data on your computer are infected, a program will be displayed that provides information on how to retrieve your files. The instructions will include an link to a TOR decryption service site. This site will provide details about the current ransom amount, how many files have been encrypted, as well as how to pay the ransom so your files can be released. The ransom usually starts at $500. It is payable in Bitcoins. Each customer will have a unique Bitcoin address.
Once TeslaCrypt is installed on your computer, it creates an executable that is randomly labeled in the %AppData% directory. Benga's blog The executable launches and scans your computer's drive letters to find files to encrypt. When it detects a supported data file, it encrypts it and adds an extension that is new to the name of the file. The name is determined by the version that affected your computer. With the introduction of new versions of TeslaCrypt the program is using different file extensions for encrypted files. TeslaCrypt currently employs the following extensions to encrypted files:.cccc..abc..aaa..zzz..xyz. You can utilize TeslaDecoder to decrypt encrypted files for no cost. It obviously depends on the version of TeslaCrypt that is infected with your files.
You should note that TeslaCrypt will scan all of the drive letters on your computer to locate files to secure. It can be used to encrypt network shares, DropBox mappings, and removable drives. It only targets network share data files if the network share is identified as a drive letter on your computer. The ransomware will not encrypt files on network shares in the absence of a network share mapped as drive letter. After it has finished scanning your computer, it will erase all Shadow Volume Copies. The ransomware does this to stop you from restoring the affected files. The version of the ransomware is identified by the application title that appears after encryption.
How can your computer be infected with TeslaCrypt
TeslaCrypt is infected by computers when the user visits an untrusted website that runs an exploit kit and whose computer is running outdated software. Developers hack websites to distribute the malware. They install a special software program known as an exploit kit. This tool aims to exploit weaknesses in your computer's programs. Acrobat Reader and Java are only a few of the programs that have vulnerabilities. When the exploit kit succeeds in exploiting vulnerabilities on your computer, it automatically installs and launches TeslaCrypt without your knowledge.
Therefore, you should ensure that your Windows and other programs installed are up-to-date. It will protect you from potential security issues that could lead to the infection of your computer by TeslaCrypt.
This ransomware was the first to target data files used by PC video games in a proactive manner. It targets game files from games like MineCraft, Steam, World of Tanks, League of Legends and Half-life 2. Diablo, Fallout 3 Skyrim, Dragon Age Dragon Age, Call of Duty and RPG Maker are just a few of the many games it targets. However, it's not been established if the game's targets lead to increased revenue for the malware developers.
Versions of TeslaCrypt, and the file extensions associated with it.
TeslaCrypt is updated frequently to incorporate new file extensions and encryption techniques. The first version encrypts files that have the extension.ecc. The encrypted files, in this instance are not linked to the data files. The TeslaDecoder may also be used to retrieve the encryption key used in the first place. It's possible if the decryption key was zeroed out, and a partial key was discovered in key.dat. There is also the Tesla request that was sent directly to the server along with the decryption keys.
There is a different version that comes with encrypted extensions for files of .ecc and .ezz. One cannot recover the original encryption key without the author's private key in the event that the encryption was zeroed out. The encrypted files cannot be paired with the data files. The Tesla request can be sent to the server using the decryption key.
The original encryption keys for the versions with extensions names.ezz or.exx names.ezz or.exx cannot be recovered without the author's private key. If the secret key used to decrypt the data was zeroed out, it won't be possible to retrieve the keys used to decrypt. Files encrypted with the extension.exx are able to be linked with data files. You can also request a decryption key from the Tesla server.
The version that has encrypted extension of files .ccc, .abc, .aaa, .zzz and .xyz does not utilize data files, and the decryption key is not stored on your computer. It can only be decrypted if the victim captures the key as it is being transmitted to an online server. You can get the decryption key by contacting Tesla. It is not possible to do this with versions after TeslaCrypt v2.1.0.
TeslaCrypt 4.0 is now available
Recently, the authors released TeslaCrypt 4.0 in the month of March. A brief analysis shows that the latest version fixes a glitch that had previously caused corruption of files larger than 4GB. It also comes with new ransom notes and doesn't require encryption of encrypted files. The absence of an extension makes it hard for users to discover the details of TeslaCryot and what has happened to their files. With the latest version, users will need to follow the path outlined in the ransom notes. It is impossible to decrypt files with no extension without a purchased key or Tesla's personal key. If the attacker takes the key as it was being transmitted to servers, the files can be decrypted.