Free Decryption Tool Enables Victims of GandCrab Ransomware to Recover Their Files

An updated decryption tool enables victims of GandCrab ransomware version 5.2 and below to recover their affected files for free.

Bitdefender announced that users can download the decryption tool by visiting the No More Ransom Project, an initiative that seeks to connect crypto-ransomware victims with free decryptors. This utility arrived just a few weeks after the creators of GandCrab announced their retirement. As part of that transition, the malware authors vowed to delete all of the outstanding decryption keys, preventing victims from paying the ransom to recover their files going forward.

As reported by ZDNet, the individuals behind GandCrab said they’re retiring because they’ve “proven that by doing evil deeds, retribution does not come.” They said they made a total of $2 billion from their ransomware campaigns overall, having generated about $2.5 million every week from ransom payments alone.

Decryption Tool Puts a Dent in GandCrab’s Profits

According to Bitdefender, GandCrab’s authors likely exaggerated those numbers. The security firm noted that its GandCrab decryption tool, of which it had released three prior versions, had thwarted 30,000 successful infections and saved victims a total of $50 million at the time of this writing.

GandCrab is only the latest ransomware family for which security researchers have developed decryption tools. In May, Emsisoft released a decryptor for JSWorm 2.0. This was just a few weeks before the French Ministry of Interior unveiled a similar utility for PyLocky versions 1 and 2.

Mount a Layered Ransomware Defense

Beyond decryption tools, security teams can help defend their organizations against ransomware by integrating data backups, anti-malware solutions and other tools into a holistic, layered defense strategy. Security awareness training is also crucial to educate employees about common social engineering techniques attackers use to distribute ransomware and other threats.

David Bisson

Contributing Editor

What we can learn from the best collegiate cyber defenders

3 min read - This year marked the 19th season of the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC). For those unfamiliar, CCDC is a competition that puts student teams in charge of managing IT for a fictitious company as the network is undergoing a fundamental transformation. This year the challenge involved a common scenario: a merger. Ten finalist teams were tasked with managing IT infrastructure during this migrational period and, as an added bonus, the networks were simultaneously attacked by a group of red…

A spotlight on Akira ransomware from X-Force Incident Response and Threat Intelligence

7 min read - This article was made possible thanks to contributions from Aaron Gdanski.IBM X-Force Incident Response and Threat Intelligence teams have investigated several Akira ransomware attacks since this threat actor group emerged in March 2023. This blog will share X-Force’s unique perspective on Akira gained while observing the threat actors behind this ransomware, including commands used to deploy the ransomware, active exploitation of CVE-2023-20269 and analysis of the ransomware binary.The Akira ransomware group has gained notoriety in the current cybersecurity landscape, underscored…

New proposed federal data privacy law suggests big changes

3 min read - After years of work and unsuccessful attempts at legislation, a draft of a federal data privacy law was recently released. The United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce released the American Privacy Rights Act on April 7, 2024. Several issues stood in the way of passing legislation in the past, such as whether states could issue tougher rules and if individuals could sue companies for privacy violations. With the American Privacy Rights Act of 2024, the U.S. government established…

Security Intelligence

{{title}}

{{title}}

{{title}}

Topics

Decryption Tool Puts a Dent in GandCrab’s Profits

Mount a Layered Ransomware Defense

More from

What we can learn from the best collegiate cyber defenders

A spotlight on Akira ransomware from X-Force Incident Response and Threat Intelligence

New proposed federal data privacy law suggests big changes

Topic updates