Once the encryption is complete you will find an info.txt file with the instructions meant to be followed by you:

!!! All of your files are encrypted !!! 
To decrypt them send e-mail to this address: lockhelp@qq.com. 
If there is no response from our mail, you can install the Jabber client and write to us in support of lockhelp@xmpp.jp

Have you ever wondered what all that fuss about Ransomware is? You have probably heard about it in the office or read about it in the news. There may even be a pop-up ransom message on your computer’s screen now that alerts you to one particular Ransomware infection named .Acute. Whatever is the reason that landed you on this page, if you are curious to learn everything there is to know about this type of software, you have come to the right place. Here we will tell you about the different forms of Ransomware threats and how they encrypt your files or block your device, and most importantly what are the alternative ways to deal with a threat such as .Acute, .Nusar or .Neras if you really have been attacked.

The term Ransomware is used to describe a type of malware that prevents users from accessing their system or their personal files through complex encryption and requires the payment of a ransom in order to provide the decryption key. The first variants of this malware were created at the end of the 80s, and the payment had to be made by postal mail. Today the creators of Ransomware infections ask a payment through much more modern methods such as untraceable cryptocurrencies like BitCoins. The basic blackmail scheme, however, is more or less the same. The virus sneaks inside the system silently and immediately blocks access to what is considered as most valuable to the victim with the hope to extort money out of them in the form or ransom.

There are versions of Ransomware which just block the access to the screen by placing a ransom-demanding banner that covers the entire monitor. There are other variants that target mobile devices, as well as variants that operate as scareware and just try to scare the web users into giving their money.

Is .Acute Dangerous?

.Acute, is a cryptovirus – a version of Ransomware that uses a complex file-encryption in order to render the files stored on the machine inaccessible. Security experts consider the cryptoviruses as some of the most challenging to deal with because, without the application of a special decryption key, the files that have been encrypted cannot be accessed even if the Ransomware gets removed from the system.

If you have been infected with .Acute Virus, you probably have been asked to pay a certain amount of money to obtain that key in order to unlock your files from the applied encryption. Giving your money to the criminals behind the blackmail scheme, however, is not what most security experts would advise you. For one, there is absolutely no guarantee that once you pay, the crooks will really send you the key. And, for a second, you never know whether the decryption key will actually work. That’s why, instead of risking your money, our “How to remove” team would suggest you to first explore some methods that may help you remove the infection and restore your files through other means. If you don’t know where to start, take a look at the instructions in the Removal Guide below and the file-recovery suggestions included in it. If nothing works, you still can contact a legitimate professional of your choice and ask them for assistance and avoid paying ransom to some anonymous hackers.

SUMMARY:

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Remove .Acute Virus Ransomware

1: Preparations

Note: Before you go any further, we advise you to bookmark this page or have it open on a separate device such as your smartphone or another PC. Some of the steps might require you to exit your browser on this PC.

2: Task Manager

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to enter the Task Manager. Go to the Tab labeled Processes (Details for Win 8/10). Carefully look through the list of processes that are currently active on you PC.

If any of them seems shady, consumes too much RAM/CPU or has some strange description or no description at all, right-click on it, select Open File Location and delete everything there.

Also, even if you do not delete the files, be sure to stop the process by right-clicking on it and selecting End Process.

3: IP related to .Acute

Go to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. Open the hosts file with notepad.

Find where it says Localhost and take a look below that. 

If you see any IP addresses there (below Localhost) send them to us here, in the comments since they might be coming from the .Acute.

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4: Disable Startup programs

Re-open the Start Menu and type msconfig.

Click on the first search result. In the next window, go to the Startup tab. If you are on Win 10,  it will send you to the Startup part of the task manager instead, as in the picture:

If you see any sketchy/shady looking entries in the list with an unknown manufacturer or a manufacturer name that looks suspicious as there could be a link between them and .Acute , disable those programs and select OK.

5: Registry Editor

Press Windows key + R and in the resulting window type regedit.

Now, press Ctrl + F and type the name of the virus.

Delete everything that gets found. If you are not sure about whether to delete something, do not hesitate to ask us in the comments. Keep in mind that if you delete the wrong thing, you might cause all sorts of issues to your PC.

6: Deleting potentially malicious data – .Acute

Type each of the following locations in the Windows search box and hit enter to open the locations:

%AppData%

%LocalAppData%

%ProgramData%

%WinDir%

%Temp%

Delete everything you see in Temp linked to .Acute Ransomware. About the other folders, sort their contents by date and delete only the most recent entries. As always, if you are not sure about something, write to us in the comment section.

7: .Acute Decryption

The previous steps were all aimed at removing the .Acute Ransomware from your PC. However, in order to regain access to your files, you will also need to decrypt them or restore them. For that, we have a separate article with detailed instructions on what you have to do in order to unlock your data. Here is a link to that guide.

The post Remove .Acute Virus Ransomware (+File Recovery) appeared first on Malware Complaints.

After the ransomware encrypt your files, it leaves a _readme.txt file with instructions to follow:

ATTENTION!

Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees you have?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.
You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:
*Redacted for security reasons*
Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that’s price for you is $490.
Please note that you’ll never restore your data without payment.
Check your e-mail “Spam” or “Junk” folder if you don’t get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:
gorentos@bitmessage.ch

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
gorentos@firemail.cc

Our Telegram account:

Recently, our “How to remove” team has been getting flooded with messages concerning one recently released Ransomware infection called .Neras. The concerned web users refer to this infection as a cryptovirus and have been asking for help with its removal and with the reversal of the harmful effects that .Neras has brought on. Now, most people  use the term “virus” to refer to all types of malware. Actually, a virus is just one of the many types of malware that exist. Other common types are Worms, Trojans, Spyware, and Ransomware. Each type of malware has a specific purpose. The Worms worsen the performance of the computer. Viruses are designed to copy themselves many times in the system and, to cause file corruption, and then spread to new hosts. The Trojans are looking for a secret backdoor to access the system and get the victim’s personal information. The reasons that lead cybercriminals to create and distribute these types of malware are numerous.

In the case of Ransomware, the reason is very clear: the attacker wants money. In general, the goal of a Ransomware isn’t to damage or destroy anything. It’s not even about stealing your identity, but about convincing you to pay a certain amount of money in the form of a ransom in order to regain access to what the Ransomware has blocked. .Neras, for instance, uses a special file encryption algorithm to secretly block the access to your personal files and then places a ransom-demanding message on your screen, asking you to pay a ransom in exchange for the decryption of the sealed files. A ransom-demanding message typically gets displayed on the screen and acts as a notification which provides the victims with instructions on how to transfer the payment. Those who refuse to follow the payment instructions are threatened to never access their files again, while those who pay are promised to receive a special decryption key for decoding the encrypted data.

This type of malware, like .Horon  .Gerosan, .Vesad targets companies and individual users around the world and over the years has become one of the favorite weapons of hackers who try to make money at the expense of the unsuspecting web users whose valuable data gets encrypted. But, how can these malicious programs be removed and how to protect your data against them?  The hackers exploit the weaknesses of the system as well as different distribution techniques and transmitters to infect as many computers as they can. Infected web pages, different email attachments, spam, video files, system updates or programs that seem generally reliable are the tools that allow such malicious software to infect a computer in seconds.

Can I Remove .Neras File Virus Myself?

Sadly, infections like .Neras operate without any noticeable symptoms. When they infiltrate a given system, there are usually no visible suspicious activities until the Ransomware is done locking-up the files. Therefore, in order to detect .Neras and other similar threats, it is very important to use a reliable antivirus with special anti-ransomware protection as well as to remember to always backup your important files. It is not a good idea to pay the hackers as there is absolutely no guarantee that they will send you anything that may help you with the data’s recovery. However, what you can do is you can carefully remove the infection and give a try to some alternative file-recovery methods such as the ones in the removal guide below.

.Neras SUMMARY:

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Remove .Neras Fiel Virus Ransomware 

1: Preparations

Note: Before you go any further, we advise you to bookmark this page or have it open on a separate device such as your smartphone or another PC. Some of the steps might require you to exit your browser on this PC.

2: Task Manager

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to enter the Task Manager. Go to the Tab labeled Processes (Details for Win 8/10). Carefully look through the list of processes that are currently active on you PC.

If any of them seems shady, consumes too much RAM/CPU or has some strange description or no description at all, right-click on it, select Open File Location and delete everything there.

Also, even if you do not delete the files, be sure to stop the process by right-clicking on it and selecting End Process.

3: IP related to .Neras

Go to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. Open the hosts file with notepad.

Find where it says Localhost and take a look below that. 

If you see any IP addresses there (below Localhost) send them to us here, in the comments since they might be coming from the .Neras.

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4: Disable Startup programs

Re-open the Start Menu and type msconfig.

Click on the first search result. In the next window, go to the Startup tab. If you are on Win 10,  it will send you to the Startup part of the task manager instead, as in the picture:

If you see any sketchy/shady looking entries in the list with an unknown manufacturer or a manufacturer name that looks suspicious as there could be a link between them and .Neras , disable those programs and select OK.

5: Registry Editor

Press Windows key + R and in the resulting window type regedit.

Now, press Ctrl + F and type the name of the virus.

Delete everything that gets found. If you are not sure about whether to delete something, do not hesitate to ask us in the comments. Keep in mind that if you delete the wrong thing, you might cause all sorts of issues to your PC.

6: Deleting potentially malicious data – .Neras

Type each of the following locations in the Windows search box and hit enter to open the locations:

%AppData%

%LocalAppData%

%ProgramData%

%WinDir%

%Temp%

Delete everything you see in Temp linked to .Neras Ransomware. About the other folders, sort their contents by date and delete only the most recent entries. As always, if you are not sure about something, write to us in the comment section.

7: .Neras Decryption

The previous steps were all aimed at removing the .Neras Ransomware from your PC. However, in order to regain access to your files, you will also need to decrypt them or restore them. For that, we have a separate article with detailed instructions on what you have to do in order to unlock your data. Here is a link to that guide.

The post Remove .Neras File Virus Ransomware (+File Recovery) appeared first on Malware Complaints.