GandCrab Ransomware Recovery Services

Rely on Intelecis to prioritize your data recovery because downtime has a significant negative impact on business performance across all industries. Numerous businesses have benefited from the expertise of our well-equipped Ransomware Team.  

What is GandCrab?

GandCrab ransomware is a class of malware that encrypts victims’ files and demands a ransom payment in order to restore access to their data. It was first discovered in January 2018. GandCrab targets organizations and individuals who use Microsoft Windows-powered PCs.

One may assume that a name like “GandCrab,” which sounds like a sexually transmitted disease, has something to do with the ransomware’s contagious nature and ability to spread across business networks. GandCrab, however, may have gotten its name from one of its authors who goes by the online pseudonym “Crab” or “Gandcrab,” according to ZDNet.

How Does GandCrab Ransomware Work?

Following the affiliate marketing business model, sometimes known as ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), GandCrab allows threat writers to experiment with and enhance their products while letting low-level cybercriminals handle the laborious task of finding new victims.

Affiliate models are frequently used by trustworthy companies, most notably Amazon. Consider having a blog where you evaluate technological devices like headphones, smartphones, laptops, computers, etc. Each review has a special link that leads readers to Amazon, where they may purchase the featured product. You receive a portion of the sale as payment for directing the consumer to Amazon.com.

In the case of GandCrab, the threat’s creators transfer their technology to other resourceful hackers (i.e., affiliates). The affiliates will then need to decide how to attract new clients (i.e., victims). The GandCrab team and the affiliate split any ransom payments 60/40 or, in the case of top affiliates, 70/30. 

What happens when a GandCrab attack is initiated? 

Ransom notes are conspicuously displayed on the victim’s PC after infection and point them to a Dark Web domain (the hidden part of the web you need a special browser to see). Victims who access the English-language website are greeted with the typo-filled phrase “WELCOME! We regret that, but all of your files were compromised! Later iterations of the ransom website include Mr. Krabs from the Spongebob Square Pants cartoon children’s program. Evidently, copyright breaches aren’t a big concern for online crooks.

In order to soothe any worries about paying the ransom, GandCrab gives victims the option of decrypting one file for free.

Payments for GandCrab are made using a mysterious cryptocurrency called Dash, which thieves prize for its intense focus on privacy. The affiliate determines the ransom amount, which often ranges between $600 and $600,000. After making a payment, victims can retrieve their files again right away by downloading the GandCrab decryptor.