Readme

The "readme" malware is a harmful program that has been identified to exploit and damage computer systems. It can infiltrate systems through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites, often without the user's knowledge. Once inside, it can steal personal information, disrupt operations, or even hold data hostage for ransom. Recently, PCRisk discovered new variants of this ransomware, namely KeyLocker and another unnamed variant that appends the .ELCTRONIC extension. These variants drop a ransom note named README-id-[username].txt and README ELECTRONIC.txt respectively. The clues in the README note suggest that the system should be configured with Direct3D support, which is crucial to triggering the exploit. In addition to the ransomware activity, readme malware also exhibits other malicious behaviors. For instance, similar to other ransomware operators, Hunters International exfiltrates data from victim organizations before encrypting files, then changes file extensions to .locked and leaves a README message guiding recipients to a chat portal on the Tor network for payment instructions. Furthermore, the malware concludes by publishing a ReadMe message in the web root directory, providing details necessary for a ransom payment. After the main encryption job is completed, a ransom note “ReadMe” is dropped. Interestingly, there are also legitimate uses of readme files, such as in the case of HookSignTool, where the author mentions the use of a Chinese code signing utility in conjunction with HookSignTool in the readme file on Github. However, the misuse of readme files by malware like the one described here highlights the need for vigilance and robust cybersecurity measures. Users are advised to keep their systems updated and to refer to the relevant readme files for patch installation packages to ensure long-term effective protection.