SecurityWeek recently reported on the release of free decryptors for victims of the BianLian and MegaCortex ransomware family. These decryptors will allow victims to restore their encrypted data without paying a ransom. The tools are made by security researchers at Emsisoft, who specialize in ransomware. With these new decryptors, victims of BianLian and MegaCortex ransomware can now recover their data for free.
The BianLian ransomware is based on the open source HiddenTear project, and was first discovered in June 2019. It’s characterized by its use of encrypted Microsoft Office documents as decryption keys. Security researchers have released several decryptors for this family, including ones for the Chinese version of BaiLian and the English version.
MegaCortex, meanwhile, is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) platform. First seen in April 2019, it is used by cybercriminals to distribute their ransomware and is known for its large ransom demands. While previous versions were decryptable, newer versions were not until the release of these decryptors.
Both BianLian and MegaCortex ransomware also rely on AES-256 encryption, which makes them difficult to decrypt without the original decryption keys. This is why Emsisoft’s decryptors are so important. With them, victims can now recover their data without having to pay a ransom.
The release of these free decryptors is a major step forward for victims of these types of ransomware. However, it’s important to note that these tools may not be able to decrypt every file, so it’s important to have backups of your data in order to protect yourself from ransomware attacks. Additionally, it’s essential to maintain secure systems with robust security tools and processes to minimize the potential for a successful ransomware attack.
This Cyber News was published on www.securityweek.com. Publication date: Sun, 22 Jan 2023 10:48:00 +0000