The notorious Troldesh family of ransomware viruses has just increased with a new variant. The new crypto-ransomware variant encrypts the user files adding a .Better_call_saul file extension after them. It is reported by researchers at Nyxbone to utilize a powerful AES-256 encryption cipher. The ransomware is also reported to change the wallpaper with a ransom note written in both Russian and English languages as well. Users who have been affected by this virus – encoder, should immediately remove it, instead of paying the ransom and try to restore the files using one of the alternative solutions in this article.
SIDENOTE: This post was originally published in June 2016. But we gave it an update in August 2019.
Threat Summary
Name | Troldesh |
Type | Ransomware |
Short Description | The ransomware encrypts your files with .better_call_saul extension and asks a ransom payment of $150 for decryption. |
Symptoms | The ransomware encrypts all of the files, changes the wallpaper to a russian and english versions of the same message and adds a README.txt note. |
Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Exploit Kits |
Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Troldesh. |
Troldesh Ransomware — Update August 2019
The Troldesh ransomware has been detected in an ongoing attack wave in August 2019. The criminals that are behind the attacks are using hacked or specially made sites in order to deliver the infection. When the victims click on them they will automatically launch the dropper script which in turn will lead to the ransomware infection.
According to the available security reports the trigger will be a JScript file which will proceed with the infection — in the moment primarily Windows computers are targeted.
The file name of the script is written in the Russian language and it appears that the attackers are attempting to spoof an airline company message. Various contents can be inserted and manipulate the users into opening them. When this is done the ransomware will be automatically downloaded from a remote host and executed on a local host.
A randomly-named directory name will be created and the ransomware will be placed there. Following the intrusion the typical Troldesh ransomware attack sequence will begin.
Troldesh Ransomware – How Does It Infect
One method Troldesh may use to successfully infect users is via malicious URLs. Such web links may redirect to web pages which contain malicious JavaScript or an Exploit Kit. Such web links may be seen in various locations by end users, for example:
- On spam comments in comment sections of different sites.
- Featured as a reply or a topic in a not so well secured forum.
- Automatically pop-up on the computer as a result of having a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program) installed on the computer.
- Redirect as a result of clicking on a malicious advertisement (malvertising)
Another method of distribution which may be used by Troldesh is by directly spreading the .exe of the malware. For this to happen, process obfuscation is believed to be used on the executable to conceal it from the real time shield of any antivirus that may be installed to the latest definitions on the victim`s computer. Such files can usually be spread via:
- Malicious e-mails as attachments, which are usually in .zip or .rar archives.
- Pose as fixes, patches, keygens, cracks and others.
- Pretend to be a setup of a legitimate software on a third-party website.
So far, one thing may be certain. Researchers have reported that this variant of Troldesh uses the following hosts to conduct massive spam campaigns:
→ 155.94.254.7
220.116.246.88
73.69.54.155
59.16.141.51
46.241.162.75
181229176179
181.46.183.183
91.250.53.114
69.23.139.144
105.131.75.227
188.0.72.57
176.223.169.98
121.136.241.45
1.64.242.80
76.9.38.194
73.205.91.110
203.175.48.196
1.239.96.173 Source: Nyxbone(@mosh)
And this is not the only bad news about how this ransomware spreads. Experts believe it to have something in common with a very dangerous botnet, called Kelihos that is known for sending out phishing campaigns.(https://sensorstechforum.com/kelihos-botnet-phishing-campaign-collects-apple-ids-spam-emails/)
Troldesh Ransomware – Malicious Activity
The ransomware drops the following files after infection:
- schet1074.15.03.16.doc – 1.1 MB
- CSRSS.exe – 1.8 MB
- 025074DE.exe – 114.3 KB
- E8B6CE19.exe – 1.0 MB
Source: Nyxbone(@mosh)
After dropping its payload, the ransomware modifies the registry entries of infected computers to change different settings:
→ HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Client Server Runtime Subsystem
HKCU\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\System32\Configuration\cnt
HKCU\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\System32\Configuration\i
HKCU\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\System32\Configuration\mode
HKCU\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\System32\Configuration\pk
HKCU\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\System32\Configuration\state
HKCU\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\System32\Configuration\sys
HKCU\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\System32\Configuration\Version Source: Nyxbone(@mosh)
The ransomware also creates additional files in the infected computer on different locations:
→ C:\ProgramData\Windows\csrss.exe
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\AppData\Local\Temp\E8B6CE19.exe –
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\AppData\Local\Temp\025074DE.exe –
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\AppData\Local\Temp\state
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\AppData\Local\Temp\lock
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\AppData\Roaming\77E4183577E41835.bmp
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\\Desktop\README1.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop\README2.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop\README3.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\\Desktop\README4.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop\README5.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop\README6.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop\README7.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop\README8.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop\README9.txt
C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Desktop\README10.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README1.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README2.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README3.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README4.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README5.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README6.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README7.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README8.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README9.txt
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\README10.txtSource: Nyxbone(@mosh)
After doing, so, the ransomware executes a call command to its encryptor. Its reported to scan for and encrypt the following types of files:
→ wb2, cdr, srw, p7b, odm, mdf, p7c, 3fr, der, odb, arw, rwl, cer, xlk, pdd, rw2, crt, dx, r3d, pem, bay, ptx, pfx, indd, nrw, p12, bd, backup, torrent, kwm, pwm, safe, xl, xls, xlsx, xlsm, xlsb, xltm, xlt, xlam, xla, mdb, rtf, txt, xml, csv, pdf, prn, dif, slk, ods, xltx, xlm, odc, xlw, uxdc, pm, udl, dsn, iqy, dqy, rqy, oqy, cub, bak, xsn, xsf, xtp, xtp2, accdb, adb, adp, mda, accda, mde, accde, accdw, accdt, accdc, mdw, dbf, tab, asc, frm, opt, myd, myi, db, onetoc2, one, onepkg, vcs, ics, pst, oft, msg, pptx, ppt, pptm, pps, ppsm, pot, potx, potm, odp, thmx, wpd, wps, ppa, ppam, wmf, emf, pub, ps, xps, vsd, vdx, vss, vsx, vst, vtx, vsw, vdw, emz, dwg, dxf, docx, doc, docm, dotx, dot, dotm, djvu, chm, htm, html, mht, mhtml, shtml, shtm, asp, aspx, dwt, stm, cs, css, psd, pdd, 3ds, max, crw, nef, raf, orf, mrw, dcr, mos, pef, srf, dng, x3f, cr2, erf, sr2, kdc, mfw, mef, cin, sdpx, dpx, fido, dae, dcm, dc3, dic, eps, kmz, iff, tdi, exr, pcx, pdp, pxr, sct, u3d, obj, ai3, ai4, ai5, ai6, ai7, ai8, ai, epsp, epsf, hdr, rgbe, xyze, flm, pbm, pgm, ppm, pnm, pfm, pam, pct, pict, psb, fxg, swf, hta, htc, ssi, as, asr, xsl, xsd, dtd, xslt, rss, rdf, lbi, asa, ascx, asmx, config, cfm, cfml, cfc, tld, phtml, jsp, wml, tpl, lasso, jsf, vb, vbs, vtm, vtml, edml, raw, jpg, jpeg, jpe, bmp, png, tif, tiff, dib, gif, svg, svgz, rle, tga, vda, icb, wbm, wbmp, jpf, jpx, jp2, j2k, j2c, jpc, avi, mkv, mov, mp4, wmv, 3gp, mpg, mpeg, m4v, divx, mpv, m1v, dat, anim, m4a, qt, 3g2, f4v, mkidx, mka, avs, vdr, flv, bin, mp3, wav, asx, pls, zip, 7z, rar, tar, gz, bz2, wim, xz, c, h, hpp, cpp, php, php3, php4, php5, py, pl, sln, js, json, inc, sql, java, class, ini, asm, clx, tbb, tbi, tbk, pst, dbx, cbf, crypted, tib, eml, fld, vbm, vbk, vib, vhd, 1cd, dt, cf, cfu, mxl, epf, vrp, grs, geo, elf, lgf, lgp, log, st, pff, mft, efd, md, dmp, fdb, lst, fbkSource: Nyxbone(@mosh)
After doing this, the files are scrambled with an AES-256 encryption algorithm. The enciphered files are usually with the .better_call_saul, for example:
→ Original file:
New Text Document.txt
Encrypted File:
{ RANDOM ALPHA NUMERICAL ID }-i-{RANDOM ALPHA NUMERICAL ID}=.{ RANDOM ALPHA NUMERICAL ID }.better_call_saul
This ransomware, then changes the wallpaper of the infected computer to the following picture:
The ransomware may also communicate with the attackers to send to them the decryption key along with other system information. The reported IP addresses of attackers are reported by Nyxbone experts to be the following:
→ 86.59.21.38
208.83.223.34
37.59.46.159
158.58.170.2
188.165.26.13
104.25.11.6
72.246.48.8 Source: Nyxbone(@mosh)
In addition to all of those, after encrypting the files, the ransomware adds multiple “README.txt” files with sequence numbers, for example “README1.txt” ,”README2.txt” ,”README3.txt” ,”README4.txt” on the Desktop of the user or encrypted folders. The text of the readme is in Russian and English. The english version of the ransom note is the following:
To decrypt the files you should send the following code:
{UNIQUE CODE} to e-mail addess post77999@gmail.com or post7799@yahoo.com.
Then you will receive all necessary instrucions.
All the attempts of decryption by yourself will result only in irrevocable loss of your data.
If you still want to try to decrypt them by yourself please make a backup at first because the decryption will become impossible in case of any changes inside the files.
If you did not receive the answer from the aforecited email for more than 48 hours (and only in this case!), use the reserve email. You can get it by two ways:
1) Download Tor Browser from here:
{tor web link}
Install it and type the following address into the address bar:
{onion domain}
Press Enter and then the page with reserve emails will be loaded.
2) Go to the one of the following addresses in any browser:
{onion domains with .to and .cab extensions}”
Troldesh Ransomware – Conclusion, Removal and File Restoration
The bottom line is that this variant of the Troldesh family is a bit more sophisticated than the the .xtbl and .crypt Troldesh variants).
If you want to remove Troldesh ransomware, you may follow the instructions for manual removal below or download an advanced anti-malware program. It will make sure your computer is free of any objects modified by Troldesh Ransomware and protect you from such threats in the future as well.
In case you wish to restore your files, we advise trying to use Kaspersky`s Rannoh Decryptor which has been reported to successfully decrypt .crypt encrypted files by the Troldesh variant CryptXXX. Otherwise, you can find other, less effective alternatives from step “3. Restore files encrypted by Troldesh” below.
- Guide 1: How to Remove Troldesh from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of Troldesh from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove Troldesh from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase Troldesh from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall Troldesh from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove Troldesh from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate Troldesh from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove Troldesh from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Troldesh





Step 2: Uninstall Troldesh and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:



Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Troldesh on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Troldesh there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:



Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of Troldesh from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Troldesh and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Troldesh via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove Troldesh files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Troldesh, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove Troldesh from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase Troldesh from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall Troldesh from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove Troldesh from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Troldesh will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate Troldesh from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.