Phobos Ransomware | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Phobos ransomware, targeting home users and small businesses, has resurfaced with a ransom payout of around $7,000.

Key Insights

• 👨‍💼 Phobos ransomware primarily targets home users and small businesses, making it a significant threat to these entities.
• 😘 The ransomware has a low file size and is an efficient encrypter, making it suitable for ransomware-as-a-service operations.
• 🙈 Phobos has seen a resurgence in recent months, with various variants and numerous user complaints.
• 📁 The ransomware has advanced capabilities, including file and directory discovery, encryption of external storage devices, and process discovery.
• ❓ Phobos ransomware disables Windows Firewall upon execution, exhibiting typical Trojan behavior.
• 🥳 It displays multiple instances of the ransom note, warning against renaming or decrypting the encrypted files using third-party software.
• 🪡 The threat of scams is also highlighted in the ransom note, further emphasizing the need for caution.

Transcript

hello and welcome to the pc security channel today we'll be taking a look at phobos ransomware as you can see we have a sample on the desktop i'll be executing it shortly and you'll see how the ransomware works unlike some of the other variants we have looked at recently this ransomware does not target mega large enterprises and corporations instea... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What types of targets does Phobos ransomware primarily focus on?

Phobos ransomware primarily targets home users and small businesses, rather than large enterprises and corporations.

Q: What is the typical ransom payout for Phobos ransomware?

The typical ransom payout for Phobos ransomware is around $7,000.

Q: Is Phobos ransomware a new threat?

While Phobos ransomware is not particularly new, it has resurfaced in the second quarter of 2021 and has been gaining more traction.

Q: How does Phobos ransomware encrypt files?

Phobos ransomware quickly and effectively encrypts all files on the infected system, without any anti-reverse engineering measures.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Phobos ransomware is a threat that primarily targets home users and small businesses.

• It has a low file size of 55 kilobytes and is an effective encrypter, making it ideal for ransomware-as-a-service.

• Phobos has seen a resurgence in the second quarter of 2021, with multiple variants and numerous user complaints.