Cry (CSTO) Ransomware Uses Google Maps, UDP and Imgur (Removal Guide)

Ransomware is quickly becoming a major threat in the cyber space since it’s easy to use, hard to track and decrypt and the ROI is high. As a result, it’s evolving and improving with horrific speed.

Cry ransomware, for example, also known as Central Security Treatment Organization and CSTO uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) to communicate and Imgur and Google Maps to spread itself. Although it’s a rather simple encryption Trojan, and not sophisticated like Zepto or Cerber3, Cry ransomware should not be underrated as no decryption for it has yet been found, and experts say it has affected 8,000 users in just 2 weeks.

Threat Summary

Name	Cry (CSTO) Ransomware
Type	Ransomware
Short Description	Encrypts the user’s files with a strong encryption algorithm and requests to contact e-mail address to make a ransom payoff of approximately 2000 dolalrs in BitCoin.
Symptoms	Files are encrypted and become inaccessible and a .cry file extension is being added to them. A ransom note is left as a text file on the desktop.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, File Sharing Networks.
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join our forum to Discuss Bart Ransomware.
Data Recovery Tool	Windows Data Recovery by Stellar Phoenix Notice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive.

Cry (CSTO) Ransomware Virus Uses UDP, Imgur and Google Maps to Collect and Communicate Victims’ Data

The User Datagram Protocol, or UDP, is the perfect protocol for network applications such as gaming, voice and video communications due to its low perceived latency and good quality. UDP is also used for applications requiring lossless data transmission.

The creators of Cry (CSTO) ransomware have chosen to use the UDP protocol in order to hide the location of the command and control server (C&C server). Once Cry infects a computer, it will gather information on the host such as the Windows and OS version, username, CPU type, installed service pack, etc. Then it will “communicate” that information via the UDP to 4096 different IP addresses, among which will be the hidden C&C server.

On another side, Cry uses Google Maps API to determine the victim’s location via Server Set Identifiers (SSIDs) of wireless networks in the given area. Experts have not yet, however, discovered why the Cry developers would need the victims’ locations.

BleepingComputer.com reported that Cry ransomware would also use websites such as Imgur.com and Pastee.org to host the collected information about the victims. Cry would then encrypt the collected information and compile it in a fake PNG file, and would send it to a photo gallery on Imgur.com. In return, Imgur would rename the PNG file and “communicate” the new name via the UDP protocol to the C&C server.

According to researchers at Invincea, Cerber ransomware has also used similar technique with the UDP protocol in order to hide the C&C server location.

Cry (CSTO) Ransomware Virus In Detail

Cry ransomware also uses the name of a fake security organization – Central Security Treatment Organization – probably in order to appear legitimate to the users and thus to be more convincing as to why they need to pay the demanded ransom fee, which is 1.1 bitcoin, or $625. The Department of Pre-Trial Settlement or the Federal Agency of Investigation are also non-existent.

Once Cry ransomware is inside the computer, it will encrypt the victims’ sensitive data consisting of the following file types: BAT, TXT, LOG, DAT, MP3, JPG, WMV, BMP, XML, HTML, CSS and JS. The encrypted files will receive the .cry extension, hence the name of the ransomware. It will then delete the Shadow Volume Copies to prevent victims from restoring their files without paying the ransom.

Cry will then drop the ransom notes named “Recovery_[random_chars].html” and “!Recovery_[random_chars].txtencrypts” on the victim’s desktop with instructions.

The ransom note reads like this:

‘WARNING!
DOCUMENTS, DATABASES, PROJECT FILES, AUDIO AND VIDEO CONTENT AND OTHER CRITICAL FILES
HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED WITH A PERSISTENT MILITARY-GRADE CRYPTO ALGORITHM
How did this happen?
Specially for your PC was generated personal 4096 bit RSA key, both public and private.
All your files have been encrypted with the public key.
Decrypting of your files is only possible with the help of the private key and de-crypt program.
What do I do?
If you HAVE REALLY VALUABLE DATA, you better NOT WASTE YOUR TIME, because there is NO OTHER WAY to get your files, EXCEPT MAKE A PAYMENT’

The victims are instructed on where they should click to pay the ransom fee.

Cry (CSTO) Ransomware Virus Removal

As mentioned earlier, Cry is quickly spreading around as it reached 8,000 infected users in just 2 weeks. Decryptors have not yet been developed and if your system has been attacked by Cry, we urge you to not pay the demanded amount. Cyber criminals may never send you a decryption key, and even if they do, Cry will remain in your system and may strike again.

It’s best to remove the virus from your system as soon as possible. Only then you could wait for a decryptor to be released or try to use a file recovery program to restore some of your data if possible.

Below you’ll find instructions on how to manually remove Cry, or what program to use to automatically remove the virus for you.

Manually delete Cry (CSTO) Ransomware from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the Cry (CSTO) Ransomware threat: Manual removal of Cry (CSTO) Ransomware requires interference with system files and registries. Thus, it can cause damage to your PC. Even if your computer skills are not at a professional level, don’t worry. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using a malware removal tool.

1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Cry (CSTO) Ransomware files and objects

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.

For Windows XP, Vista, 7 systems:

1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu.
2. Select one of the two options provided below:

– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.

– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.

3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.

4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account

While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.

Step 1: Open the Start Menu

Step 2: Whilst holding down Shift button, click on Power and then click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, the aftermentioned menu will appear. From there you should choose Troubleshoot.

Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu you can choose Advanced Options.

Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.

Step 6: Click on Restart.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You should choose Safe Mode by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

2.Find malicious files created by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware on your PC

Find malicious files created by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware

1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.

For Newer Windows Operating Systems

Step 1:

On your keyboard press  + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.

Step 2:

Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.

Step 3:

Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:

N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.

For Older Windows Operating Systems

In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:

Step 1:

Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.

Step 2:

After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.

Step 3:

After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.

Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.

3.Fix registry entries created by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware on your PC

Fix registry entries created by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware on your PC.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries of your computer to change different settings. This is why manual clean up of your Windows Registry Database is strongly recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit lenghty, we recommend following our instructive article about fixing registry entries.

Automatically remove Cry (CSTO) Ransomware by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove Cry (CSTO) Ransomware with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

Remove Cry (CSTO) Ransomware with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove Cry (CSTO) Ransomware.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove Cry (CSTO) Ransomware.

Step 1:Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is highly recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to automatically update.

Step1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Scan Computer Now’ button.

Step2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any Cry (CSTO) Ransomware files, click on the ‘Fix Threats’ button to remove them automatically and permanently.

Step3: Once the intrusions on your PC have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart it.

2. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware in the future

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data automatically with cloud backup and insure it against any type of data loss on your device, even the most severe. We recommend reading more about and downloading SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

To back up your files via Windows and prevent any future intrusions, follow these instructions:

1. For Windows 7 and earlier 1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 1. Enabling the Windows Defense Feature (Previous Versions)

1-Click on Windows Start Menu

2-Type Backup And Restore
3-Open it and click on Set Up Backup

4-A window will appear asking you where to set up backup. You should have a flash drive or an external hard drive. Mark it by clicking on it with your mouse then click on Next.

5-On the next window, the system will ask you what do you want to backup. Choose the ‘Let Me Choose’ option and then click on Next.

6-Click on ‘Save settings and run backup’ on the next window in order to protect your files from possible attacks by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware.

1-Press Windows button + R

2-In the window type ‘filehistory’ and press Enter

3-A File History window will appear. Click on ‘Configure file history settings’

4-The configuration menu for File History will appear. Click on ‘Turn On’. After its on, click on Select Drive in order to select the backup drive. It is recommended to choose an external HDD, SSD or a USB stick whose memory capacity is corresponding to the size of the files you want to backup.

5-Select the drive then click on ‘Ok’ in order to set up file backup and protect yourself from Cry (CSTO) Ransomware.

1- Press Windows button + R keys.

2- A run windows should appear. In it type ‘sysdm.cpl’ and then click on Run.

3- A System Properties windows should appear. In it choose System Protection.

5- Click on Turn on system protection and select the size on the hard disk you want to utilize for system protection.
6- Click on Ok and you should see an indication in Protection settings that the protection from Cry (CSTO) Ransomware is on.

Restoring a file via Windows Defense feature:
1-Right-click on the encrypted file, then choose Properties.

2-Click on the Previous Versions tab and then mark the last version of the file.

3-Click on Apply and Ok and the file encrypted by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware should be restored.

3. Restore files encrypted by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware

Restore Files Encrypted by Cry (CSTO) Ransomware

Security engineers strongly advise users NOT to pay the ransom money and attempt restoring the files using other methods. Here are several suggestions:

To restore your data, your first bet is to check again for shadow copies in Windows using this software:

Shadow Explorer

If this method does not work, Kaspersky have provided a decryptors for files encrypted with the this and other encryption algorithms:

Kaspersky Decryptors

Another method of restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. Here are some examples of data recovery programs:

• Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery Technicians License(Pro version with more features)
• Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery
• Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery

There is also the technical option to use a network sniffer:

Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key. For more information click on the following article.

Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools

Remove Cry (CSTO) Ransomware Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove Cry (CSTO) Ransomware.
Step 1: Download STOPZilla by clicking here.
Step 2: A pop-up window will appear. Click on the ‘Save File’ button. If it does not, click on the Download button and save it afterwards.

Step 3: After you have downloaded the setup, simply open it.
Step 4: The installer should appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 5: Check the ‘I accept the agreement’ check circle if not checked if you accept it and click the ‘Next’ button once again.

Step 6: Review and click on the ‘Install’ button.

Step 7: After the installation process has completed click on the ‘Finish’ button.

2. Scan your PC with STOPZilla Anti Malware to remove all Cry (CSTO) Ransomware associated files completely.
Step 1: Launch STOPZilla if you haven’t launched it after install.
Step 2: Wait for the software to automatically scan and then click on the ‘Repair Now’ button. If it does not scan automatically, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button.

Step 3: After the removal of all threats and associated objects, you should Restart your PC.

Boyana Peeva

Believes that the glass is rather half-full and that nothing is bigger than the little things. Enjoys writing, reading and sharing content – information is power.

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