Ransom:Win32/Play!ml Virus “Play!ml” Removal

If you spectate the alert of Ransom:Win32/Play!ml detection, it appears that your PC has a problem. All malicious programs are dangerous, without any deviations. Play!ml is a malicious application that aims at opening your computer to further threats. Most of of the modern malware examples are complex, and can download other viruses. Getting the Ransom:Win32/Play!ml malware often equals to getting a malicious thing which can act like spyware or stealer, downloader, and a backdoor. Spectating this detection means that you need to perform the malware removal as fast as you can.

Any malware exists with the only target – gain money on you. And the programmers of these things are not thinking about morality – they use all possible ways. Stealing your personal data, receiving the payments for the banners you watch for them, exploiting your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies – that is not the complete list of what they do. Do you want to be a riding steed? That is a rhetorical question.

What is Ransom:Win32/Play!ml virus?

The Ransom:Win32/Play!ml detection you can see in the lower right corner is shown to you by Microsoft Defender. That anti-malware application is quite OK at scanning, however, prone to be basically unstable. It is defenseless to malware invasions, it has a glitchy user interface and problematic malware removal features. For this reason, the pop-up which states about the Play!ml is just a notification that Defender has detected it. To remove it, you will likely need to use another anti-malware program.

Ransom:Win32/Play!ml found

Microsoft Defender: “Ransom:Win32/Play!ml”

The exact Ransom:Win32/Play!ml virus is a very unpleasant thing. It sits into your computer under the guise of something legit, or as a part of the tool you downloaded from a forum. After that, it makes all possible steps to weaken your system. At the end of this “party”, it downloads other viruses – ones which are choosen by crooks who control this malware. Hence, it is likely impossible to predict the effects from Play!ml actions. And the unpredictability is one of the most upleasant things when it comes to malware. That’s why it is better not to choose at all, and don’t let the malware to complete its task.

Threat Summary:

Name Play!ml Ransom
Detection Ransom:Win32/Play!ml
Details Play!ml is attached to another program (such as a document), which can replicate and spread after an initial execution.

Behavior Analysis

Click to expand
  • Sample contains Overlay data;
  • Unconventionial language used in binary resources: Turkish;
  • The binary contains an unknown PE section name indicative of packing;
  • The binary likely contains encrypted or compressed data.;
  • Authenticode signature is invalid;
  • Anomalous binary characteristics;
  • Encrypting the documents kept on the target’s disk — so the victim cannot use these documents;
  • Blocking the launching of .exe files of anti-virus programs
  • Blocking the launching of installation files of anti-malware apps

File Info

Click to expand
name: 2F654677D69BCE8A7D4E.mlwpath: /opt/CAPEv2/storage/binaries/98d8a7948bfdea381e503f0ac4c1bc5948b83b2caac77137577d402333dfb1bfcrc32: BEBEA24Bmd5: 2f654677d69bce8a7d4e18eca2a924f6sha1: 27b0c9f6dec429419bc788ac16d00ea9e790f795sha256: 98d8a7948bfdea381e503f0ac4c1bc5948b83b2caac77137577d402333dfb1bfsha512: 0831045fd4559b5980f6a4202de80413bfc92728cf03814a44cf0a07d44d44ae1df6ae3673b4e2c2eacf9b316c9fc6d13919de4a555da9d2a7261377975310d2ssdeep: 6144:nR/bxfnKkNuX1Ed5hZ9UxhX4O498sfti2QBm1vfN:nRzxvKCuedXrQ4984HQB6fNtype: PE32 executable (GUI) Intel 80386, for MS Windowstlsh: T1642412248AD39921F66B43F523343D7463AA2F306F4514EBAB9E3FB492B46D70406637sha3_384: e8606d2142bad513336d8d71db232e0eb4ecde69612e8a72a50d17f90b27e7ea5a15076b4dfed886cd2e0476b01c4a94ep_bytes: 5589e5e9cc370500006ac76a216800f8timestamp: 2011-10-02 06:40:09

Version Info:

CompanyName: BitMefender S.R.L.FileDescription: BitMefender Antivirus ScannerFileVersion: 13,0,21,1InternalName: GUIScannerLegalCopyright: Copyright (C) 2010OriginalFilename: uiscan.exeProductName: BitMefender 2016ProductVersion: 13,0,18,344Translation: 0x0409 0x04b0

Alternative Detection Names

Click to expand
Bkav W32.AIDetectMalware
Lionic Trojan.Win32.Generic.4!c
MicroWorld-eScan Generic.Dacic.A82088AB.A.537E1866
ClamAV Win.Trojan.Yakes-1870
FireEye Generic.mg.2f654677d69bce8a
CAT-QuickHeal Trojan.GenericRI.S30222121
McAfee GenericRXWD-RE!2F654677D69B
Cylance unsafe
Zillya Trojan.Generic.Win32.1751349
Sangfor Suspicious.Win32.Save.a
K7AntiVirus Trojan ( 005a60f61 )
Alibaba Malware:Win32/km_2eb30.None
K7GW Trojan ( 005a60f61 )
Cybereason malicious.7d69bc
BitDefenderTheta Gen:NN.ZexaF.36318.ny1@a8TFxsiO
VirIT Trojan.Win32.Generic.BDPN
Cyren W32/Zbot.OQ.gen!Eldorado
Symantec ML.Attribute.HighConfidence
Elastic malicious (high confidence)
ESET-NOD32 a variant of Win32/Packed.RopProof.A suspicious
APEX Malicious
Cynet Malicious (score: 100)
Kaspersky HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Generic
BitDefender Generic.Dacic.A82088AB.A.537E1866
NANO-Antivirus Trojan.Win32.Mlw.jxcsyq
SUPERAntiSpyware Trojan.Agent/Gen-Falcomp
Avast Win32:Evo-gen [Trj]
Tencent Trojan.Win32.Agent.kac
Emsisoft Generic.Dacic.A82088AB.A.537E1866 (B)
Baidu Win32.Trojan.Kryptik.ej
F-Secure Trojan.TR/Crypt.XPACK.Gen7
DrWeb Trojan.DownLoader9.8340
VIPRE Generic.Dacic.A82088AB.A.537E1866
TrendMicro TSPY_ZBOT.SM3R
McAfee-GW-Edition BehavesLike.Win32.Generic.dc
Trapmine malicious.high.ml.score
Sophos Mal/Generic-S
Ikarus Trojan.Win32.Crypt
GData Generic.Dacic.A82088AB.A.537E1866
Webroot W32.InfoStealer.Zeus
Avira TR/Crypt.XPACK.Gen7
MAX malware (ai score=100)
Antiy-AVL Trojan/Win32.Yakes
Arcabit Generic.Dacic.A82088AB.A.537E1866
ZoneAlarm HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Generic
Microsoft Ransom:Win32/Play!ml
Google Detected
AhnLab-V3 Trojan/Win.Yakes.R582292
ALYac Generic.Dacic.A82088AB.A.537E1866
TACHYON Trojan/W32.Agent.226413.C
Malwarebytes Generic.Malware.AI.DDS
Panda Trj/Genetic.gen
TrendMicro-HouseCall TSPY_ZBOT.SM3R
Rising Spyware.Zbot!1.A1BA (CLASSIC)
SentinelOne Static AI – Suspicious PE
MaxSecure Trojan.Yakes.dwnc
Fortinet W32/Wacatac.B!tr
AVG Win32:Evo-gen [Trj]
DeepInstinct MALICIOUS
CrowdStrike win/malicious_confidence_100% (W)

Is Ransom:Win32/Play!ml dangerous?

As I have actually mentioned , non-harmful malware does not exist. And Ransom:Win32/Play!ml is not an exclusion. This virus modifies the system configurations, edits the Group Policies and registry. All of these components are vital for correct system operating, even when we are not talking about PC safety. Therefore, the malware which Play!ml carries, or which it will download later, will squeeze out maximum profit from you. Cyber burglars can steal your personal information, and then push it at the black market. Using adware and browser hijacker functionality, built in Ransom:Win32/Play!ml malware, they can make revenue by showing you the advertisements. Each view gives them a penny, but 100 views per day = $1. 1000 victims who watch 100 banners per day – $1000. Easy math, but sad conclusions. It is a bad choice to be a donkey for crooks.

How did I get this virus?

It is not easy to trace the origins of malware on your computer. Nowadays, things are mixed up, and spreading tactics used by adware 5 years ago can be utilized by spyware these days. However, if we abstract from the exact spreading tactic and will think of why it works, the explanation will be quite uncomplicated – low level of cybersecurity knowledge. Individuals click on ads on weird websites, open the pop-ups they receive in their web browsers, call the “Microsoft tech support” assuming that the weird banner that states about malware is true. It is important to understand what is legitimate – to avoid misunderstandings when attempting to figure out a virus.

Microsoft tech support scam

The example of Microsoft Tech support scam banner

Nowadays, there are two of the most extensive tactics of malware distribution – bait e-mails and injection into a hacked program. While the first one is not so easy to avoid – you need to know a lot to understand a counterfeit – the 2nd one is easy to handle: just don’t use cracked programs. Torrent-trackers and various other providers of “free” applications (which are, in fact, paid, but with a disabled license checking) are just a giveaway place of malware. And Ransom:Win32/Play!ml is simply within them.

About the author

Wilbur Woodham

Technical writer covering malware detections, unwanted programs, and browser-based threats. Wilbur turns research notes into step-by-step guides that Windows users can follow safely.

Leave a Comment