[Hong Kong, June 2, 2016] Trend Micro International (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in security software, today announced the release of free tools—Trend Micro Crypto-Ransomware File Decryptor Tool and Trend Micro Lock Screen Ransomware Tool, to help users and organizations fight back against the dangers that ransomware pose.

Systems affected with certain crypto-ransomware variants like TeslaCrypt and CryptXXX can use the File Decryptor Tool to retrieve their files that were ‘held hostage’ by these threats. If the system is infected with ransomware that has a lock-screen feature, the Lock Screen Ransomware Tool will help users gain access to their screen even though the malware is blocking normal and safe mode with networking. One of the primary goals of these tools is to prevent affected users and businesses from succumbing to the pressure and the demands of paying the ransom just to retrieve their confidential data.

The decryptor can be downloaded at the Trend Micro Support Page : http://esupport.trendmicro.com/solution/en-US/1114221.aspx.

TeslaCrypt (detected as RANSOM_CRYPTESLA) is a crypto-ransomware which initially encrypted files related to gaming software and games. However, its succeeding versions no longer hit these specific files. Last December 2015, the blog site of The Independent was compromised to redirect visitors to sites hosting Angler Exploit Kit. If users do not have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, it will download TeslaCrypt on their systems.

On the other hand, CryptXXX (detected as RANSOM_WALTRIX) has the capability of locking screens; one particular variant checks if it is running on virtual environment to avoid early detection. Its prevalence could also be attributed to its entry points through malvertisements and compromised websites hosting the Angler and Nuclear exploit kits.

According to Calvin Chan, Technical Manager at Trend Micro Hong Kong, “The risks and impact of ransomware threats to end users, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and large organizations are more significant than ever. In the past, we reported ransomware attacks against the healthcare industry and power/water utilities. Our solutions and free tools can help a great deal in mitigating the perils of certain ransomware threats and recovering important files and access to systems.

“Trend Micro want to empower users and organizations through these free tools so they won’t have to give in to the ransom fee or lose their confidential data. Paying the ransom money does not guarantee that you will get your crucial files back. In fact, there are cases when the perpetrators will ask again for another ransom after the initial payment. As such, we also recommend users and organizations to do preventive measures such as the 3-2-1 rule in backing up data to avoid being a victim of ransomware. Apart from securing one’s perimeter, enterprises should also raise awareness and educate/train employees on what to do when they encounter ransomware in emails or when visiting malicious or compromised sites.”

Trend Micro has set up a Ransomware webpage to provide the latest threat information to users. Please visit http://www.trendmicro.com.hk/en-hk/ for details.

Other Trend Micro Solutions

Apart from these free tools, Trend Micro also offers different solutions to protect enterprises, small businesses, and home users to help minimize the risk of getting affected by ransomware.

Enterprises can benefit from a multi-layered, step-by-step approach in order to best mitigate the risks brought by these threats. Email and web gateway solutions such as Trend Micro™ Deep Discovery™ Email Inspector and InterScan™ Web Security prevents ransomware from ever reaching end users. At the endpoint level, Trend Micro Smart Protection Suites deliver several capabilities like behavior monitoring and application control, and vulnerability shielding that minimize the impact of this threat. Trend Micro Deep Discovery Inspector detects and blocks ransomware on networks, while Trend Micro Deep Security™ stops ransomware from reaching enterprise servers–whether physical, virtual or in the cloud.

For small businesses, Trend Micro Worry-Free Services Advanced offers cloud-based email gateway security through Hosted Email Security. Its endpoint protection also delivers several capabilities such as behavior monitoring and real-time web reputation in order detect and block ransomware.

For home users, Trend Micro Security 10 provides robust protection against ransomware, by blocking malicious websites, emails, and files associated with this threat.