AVCrypt tries to disable anti-malware software before it can be detected and removed.
A newly discovered ransomware variant attempts to remove any anti-malware protection in place on a victim’s computer before it begins its nefarious work.
A group of researchers that includes Lawrence Abrams (of bleepingcomputer.com), MalwareHunterTeam, and Michael Gillespie discovered the malware and reported it in a post on BleepingComputer. The malware, which the group of analysts and researchers is calling AVCrypt, first tries to identify and remove a number of Windows services that are required for two specific anti-virus packages, Windows Defender and Malwarebytes, to operate successfully.