An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum for 4 years. Enjoys ‘Mr. Robot’ and fears ‘1984’. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles!
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum for 4 years. Enjoys ‘Mr. Robot’ and fears ‘1984’. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles!
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum for 4 years. Enjoys ‘Mr. Robot’ and fears ‘1984’. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles!
Note! Your computer might be affected by Spritecoin and other threats.
Threats such as Spritecoin may be persistent on your system. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like SpyHunter will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files. SpyHunter’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum for 4 years. Enjoys ‘Mr. Robot’ and fears ‘1984’. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles!
Security researchers have detected another attack against users that are interested in cryptocurrency. A fake application masqueraded as wallet software is currently distributing ransomware and also has an information stealer bundled in the infection package, experts warn. The fake application a.k.a. ransomware is called Spritecoin, and it was discovered by Fortinet researchers.
Threat Summary
Name
Spritecoin
Type
Ransomware, Fake app
Short Description
The ransomware encrypts files on your computer and displays a ransom message once encryption is done.
Symptoms
Encrypted files cannot be accessed. A ransom note message demands ransom in Monero.
Distribution Method
via forum spam
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by Spritecoin
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.
Spritecoin Monero Ransomware Infection Details
Researchers have witnessed unconfirmed reports which led them to believe that this attack is being spread via forum spam, and is specifically targeting users interested in cryptocurrency. During their research, experts came across what appears to be the homepage for SpriteCoin pagebin[.]com/xxqZ8VES:
The ransomware that is spread with the help of the Spritecoin fake app is asking for ransom payment in Monero cryptocurrency. In the meantime, the ransomware is pretending to a “cryptocurrency-related password store”. More particularly, the ransomware is pretending to be a Spritecoin wallet, and is asking the potential victim to create a password. But when the victim does, it will not actually download the block-chain but will in fact encrypt the data on the user’s computer.
Once the encryption process is done, the ransomware will demand a payment in Monero in exchange for the files’ decryption.
The file (also known as spritecoind[.]exe) is UPX packed for simple evasion. It displays the typical ransom note of “Your files are encrypted” and asks for a sum of 0.3 Monero which amounts to $105 USD, researchers add.
During their analysis, researchers noticed indicators that the sample has an embedded SQLite engine. This may mean that the ransomware is using SQLite to store harvested credentials.
Interestingly, the ransomware is designed to first search for Chrome credentials. If no such credentials are found, it continues with Firefox trying to access the browser’s credential store. Once this is done, it will look for specific files to encrypt, researchers reveal in their report.
Once the encryption is done, the following extension will be added to them: resume.doc.encrypted.
In addition to the ransomware carried by the Spritecoin fake wallet app, another piece of malware is dropped on the victim’s computer. It is indeed an information stealer looking to harvest certificates, as well as to perform other activities like image parsing, web camera activation, etc.
Researchers also observed that the payload file would not run in its current state without a particular patch in place. This is what they discovered:
Our test environment was a Windows XP SP3 machine, but due to a missing _snprintf_s function from msvcrt.dll the malware would not run. But it began once we patched our system to _snprintf. On initial execution, the malware copies itself to %APPDATA%\MoneroPayAgent.exe, and relaunches the new copy.
The following registry key is modified by the Spritecoin ransomware:
Lastly, the ransomware can be detected as one of the following AV signatures:
W32/Ransom.F3F6!tr (Ransomware)
W32/Agent.DDFA!tr (secondary payload of Monero)
W32/Generic!tr (Backdoor)
W32/MoneroPay.F3F6!tr.ransom
Spritecoin Monero Ransomware Removal
Below you can find a set of manual removal instructions for the Spritecoin ransomware distributed in the form of a fake wallet app. Keep in mind that the threat samples show that the ransomware is complex meaning that manual removal can be challenging even for tech-savvy users. Thus, the use of a professional anti-malware program is recommended for maximum efficiency. Such a tool will scan the whole system to locate all malicious files associated with the threat so you can easily get rid of them with a few mouse clicks.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Spritecoin and other threats. Scan Your PC with SpyHunter SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as Spritecoin. Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
To remove Spritecoin follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Spritecoin files and objects
Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
For Windows XP, Vista and 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 up the Start Menu.
Step 2: Click on the Power button (for Windows 8 it is the little arrow next to the “Shut Down” button) and whilst holding down “Shift” click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, a blue menu with options will appear. From them you should choose Troubleshoot.
Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu choose Advanced Options.
Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.
Step 6: From the Startup Settings menu, click on Restart.
Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You can choose any of the three Safe Mode options by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.
Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.
2. Find files created by Spritecoin on your PC
Find files created by Spritecoin
1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
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.
Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs
3. Scan for malware and unwanted programs with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Scan your PC and Remove Spritecoin with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Spritecoin and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Spritecoin. Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
Step 1: Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.
It is 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. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.
Step 2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.
Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.
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 with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup.
4. Try to Restore files encrypted by Spritecoin
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Spritecoin
Ransomware infections and Spritecoin aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that these methods may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software. Another method for restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. Here are some suggestions for preferred data recovery software solutions:
Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors. If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:
To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for Volume Shadow Copies, if ransomware has not deleted them, in Windows using the below software:
Method 4: Finding the decryption key while the cryptovirus sends it over a network via a sniffing tool.
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. See how-to instructions below:
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum for 4 years. Enjoys ‘Mr. Robot’ and fears ‘1984’. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles!
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum for 4 years. Enjoys ‘Mr. Robot’ and fears ‘1984’. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles!
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7.
2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Spritecoin and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
