{ "family": "fakeransom", "sample_count": 1, "category": "ransomware", "description": "Ransomware:Win32/Fakeransom (or 'Scareware') refers to malicious programs that mimic the behavior and appearance of actual ransomware to extort money, but lack the capability to actually encrypt the victim's files (`T1491`). They rely entirely on psychological manipulation and screen-locking techniques rather than cryptographic damage.

Understanding Fakeransom (Scareware)
To an end-user, Fakeransom is terrifying. A full-screen window appears, claiming their files have been encrypted by a notorious cartel (like WannaCry or Ryuk) or locked by the FBI/Interpol for 'illegal activity', demanding immediate payment in Bitcoin or gift cards. For an incident responder, discovering the infection is 'fake' is a massive relief, as data recovery is usually trivial and requires no decryption key.

Execution and Screen-Locking Mechanics
Fakeransom is often distributed via malvertising, drive-by downloads, or bundled with pirated software. Upon execution, it does not encrypt files. Instead, it employs Screen Locking techniques (`T1491.002`). It maximizes a borderless window, sets it to always be 'on top', and disables the Task Manager (`taskmgr.exe`), the Windows key, and Alt+Tab functionality via API hooking (`T1562.001`). This traps the average user on the extortion screen, convincing them that their machine is hopelessly compromised.

Indicators of Compromise & Impact
The impact is psychological distress and potential financial loss if the user pays the ransom. Data availability is only temporarily affected by the screen lock. Host-based IoCs include the presence of the full-screen extortion window, registry modifications disabling the Task Manager (`DisableTaskMgr=1`), and a persistent executable running from `%AppData%` or `%Temp%`. Network IoCs may include connections to the attacker's payment portal, but unlike real ransomware, there is no transmission of encryption keys.", "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.", "aliases": [], "enrichment_level": "expert-seo", "faq": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is Fakeransom and what threat category does it belong to?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Fakeransom is classified as a Ransomware. Documented across security telemetry, it is engineered to execute unauthorized operations, establish persistent footholds on target endpoints, and facilitate malicious campaigns targeting enterprise and individual environments." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How does Fakeransom establish persistence and evade defensive controls?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Fakeransom typically establishes persistence through registry run keys, scheduled tasks, or service installations, while evading signature-based antivirus solutions through code obfuscation, memory injection, or anti-analysis sandbox checks." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the essential incident response steps for mitigating a Fakeransom compromise?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Security teams responding to Fakeransom should immediately isolate affected endpoints from the network, perform memory triage to capture volatile forensic artifacts, audit registry and startup persistence mechanisms, revoke exposed user credentials, and restore systems from verified, clean backups." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What cryptographic algorithms and file targeting techniques does Fakeransom employ during execution?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Fakeransom typically leverages hybrid cryptographic architectures combining symmetric stream or block ciphers (such as AES-256 or ChaCha20) for rapid file encryption with asymmetric algorithms (such as RSA-2048 or Curve25519) to securely protect the session keys. It aggressively targets sensitive file extensions including corporate documents, databases, virtual disks, and backups while systematically executing commands to delete Volume Shadow Copies (vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet) and disable system recovery options." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are decryptors available for Fakeransom, and what is the recommended recovery procedure?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Decryption availability for Fakeransom depends on whether security researchers or law enforcement (such as the No More Ransom initiative) have recovered the master private keys or discovered flaws in its key generation routines. Victims should never pay the extortion demand, as payment fuels criminal operations without guaranteeing file restoration. The recommended recovery procedure entails isolating infected hosts, conducting forensic disk imaging, identifying the root access vector, and restoring validated systems from immutable offline backups." } } ], "faq_count": 5, "mitre_attack": [ "T1562.001", "T1491.002", "T1189" ], "cisa_advisory": null, "last_updated": "2026-06-09", "mitre_attack_detail": [ { "id": "T1491.002", "name": "Defacement: Internal Defacement (Creating a full-screen, unclosable ransom note)", "tactic": "Impact" }, { "id": "T1562.001", "name": "Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools (Disabling Task Manager and system shortcuts to trap the user)", "tactic": "Defense Evasion" }, { "id": "T1189", "name": "Drive-by Compromise (Common distribution method via deceptive ads)", "tactic": "Initial Access" } ], "containment_steps": [ "Boot the infected computer into 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt' to bypass the screen-locking application.", "Use the command prompt to launch `regedit.exe` and remove the persistence mechanism (usually a Run key) and re-enable the Task Manager.", "Delete the Fakeransom executable from the file system.", "Run a comprehensive anti-malware scan to ensure no other, silent threats were dropped alongside the scareware." ], "what_to_avoid": [ "Under no circumstances should the ransom be paid; the files are not encrypted, and payment only encourages further extortion.", "Avoid reinstalling the entire operating system, as this is usually unnecessary for non-encrypting scareware." ], "target_industries": [ "Healthcare", "Critical Infrastructure", "Enterprise" ], "motivation": "Financial Extortion", "threat_actors": [ "Unknown / Cybercriminal" ], "target_geographies": [ "Global" ], "attack_stage": [ "defense_evasion", "impact" ], "ecosystem": [ "windows_pe" ], "is_emerging": false, "target_platforms": [ "Windows 11", "Windows 10", "Windows Server 2022", "Windows Server 2019" ] }