._NIST_K571_ file extension is placed on all of your files? ._NIST_K571_ Virus File is also known as Babuk Loader ransomware which locks files on a computer and demands money to be paid as a ransom for unlocking them.
Babuk Loader Ransomware (._NIST_K571_ Virus File)
Babuk Loader or otherwise known as ._NIST_K571_ Virus File is a ransomware type virus. It encrypts files by appending the ._NIST_K571_ extension to them, making them inaccessible. All encrypted files will receive the new extension. The Babuk Loader ransomware drops a ransom note, which gives instructions to victims on how they can allegedly restore their data by paying a ransom fee.
Babuk Loader Ransomware Virus
Babuk Loader Ransomware will encrypt all types of files such as audio, video, pictures, backups, banking data and other personal user files found on a compromised computer system.
._NIST_K571_ Virus Summary
| Name | ._NIST_K571_ Virus |
| File Extension | ._NIST_K571_ |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | The ransomware encrypts files on your computer system and demands a ransom to be paid to allegedly recover them. |
| Symptoms | The Babuk Loader ransomware will encrypt your files by appending the ._NIST_K571_ extension to them. |
| Ransom Demanding Note | How To Restore Your Files.txt |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss ._NIST_K571_ Virus. |
._NIST_K571_ Virus File – How Did It Infect My PC and What Happened?
The Babuk Loader is a recently discovered ransomware that has been detected in an attack campaign. The origins of this threat are not known, it is supposed to be a new malware family designed by an unknown hacking group. Alternatively, such viruses are ordered through underground hacker communities — their existing families can be modified to create new viruses, or experienced hackers can create new ones for a given price.
At this time it is created mainly for Microsoft Windows machines, and according to the available information it fits as a pretty standard virus of its category. Information about it has been released by the malware researcher Chuong Dong, he gives a detailed view of how this virus works on a given machine. Initial information about it was also found on a hacking forum where an unknown hacking group posts information about a successful malware infection with the Babuk Loader (the ._NIST_K571_ Virus File variant) — the hacking group has infiltrated a healthcare provider and they are blackmailing the victims.
The main mode of infection is not known at the moment, we speculate that it might be one of the following:
- Phishing Methods — The criminals prepare email messages and websites to coerce the victims into interacting with their content. This, in turn, will lead to the virus infection automatically. A common method of doing this is to host the sites on domain names that sound very similar to the ones that are well-known to the victims.
- Virus Carriers — Through the execution of the so-called “virus carriers”, the infection will happen when they are run on the target computers. The two most popular variants are the macro-infected documents which are prepared in all popular formats and the application installers. These setup bundles are popular programs that are commonly downloaded from the Internet. The hackers create them by taking the original setup files from their official sources and adding in the necessary virus code.
- Direct Attacks — The criminals can use a different kind of direct hacking intrusion attacks to go around the security measurements and directly deploy the threat. This is also possible by making use of other malware that will drop this ransomware as part of their execution sequence.
The in-depth virus analysis reveals that the ._NIST_K571_ Virus (Babuk Loader) can be programmed to cause a diverse array of actions on the compromised machines. It can be run on the target machines with command-line parameters that can give extra directions. The default mode will be to encrypt users data on the local machine, however, there is functionality that can also reach files located on network shares and removable storage devices.
Babuk Loader is able to interact with the system services, namely by retrieving the names of the running ones and stopping them at will. By interacting with them the hackers can cause a series of changes — usually, this will result in performance issues, the inability to run certain services, and even information harvesting. The other type of functionality added in this particular virus is the shadow volume copies removal — this will make it very hard to effectively restore the computers without the use of a special data recovery software. It will also disable the internal Windows system restore function.
The collected samples of the ._NIST_K571_ Virus (Babuk Loader) can also interact with the Windows Restart Manager to terminate any processes that might interfere with its function. This effectively creates a way to protect the virus from being tampered with and is regarded as a way to stop security software from protecting the computer from the malware.
With this particular malware release, hackers have implemented different algorithms when dealing with various types of files. This ransomware works with large-size files and smaller ones. Like other similar threats, this one works against commonly used files: documents, multimedia files, archives, backups, and etc. All of the victim data belonging to this release of the Babuk Loader will receive the relevant ._NIST_K571_ extension. In folders where there are affected files, a ransom note will be created in a text document called How To Restore Your Files.txt.
We suspect that attacks with this particular malware will continue in the future and may very well be utilized by different groups. For this reason, detected threats should be removed from the system as soon as possible.
Remove ._NIST_K571_ Virus File
If your computer got infected with the ._NIST_K571_ Virus File, you should have a bit of experience in removing malware. You should get rid of this ransomware as quickly as possible before it can have the chance to spread further and infect other computers. You should remove the ransomware and follow the step-by-step instructions guide provided below.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
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Attention! SensorsTechForum strongly recommends that all malware victims should look for assistance only by reputable sources. Many guides out there claim to offer free recovery and decryption for files encrypted by ransomware viruses. Be advised that some of them may only be after your money.
As a site that has been dedicated to providing free removal instructions for ransomware and malware since 2014, SensorsTechForum’s recommendation is to only pay attention to trustworthy sources.
How to recognize trustworthy sources:
- Always check "About Us" web page.
- Profile of the content creator.
- Make sure that real people are behind the site and not fake names and profiles.
- Verify Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter personal profiles.
- Guide 1: How to Remove ._NIST_K571_ Virus from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of ._NIST_K571_ Virus from Mac OS X.
How to Remove ._NIST_K571_ Virus from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove ._NIST_K571_ Virus
Step 2: Uninstall ._NIST_K571_ Virus and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by ._NIST_K571_ Virus on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by ._NIST_K571_ Virus there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for ._NIST_K571_ Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by ._NIST_K571_ Virus.
Ransomware infections and ._NIST_K571_ Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Simply click on the link and on the website menus on top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
Get rid of ._NIST_K571_ Virus from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall ._NIST_K571_ Virus and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove ._NIST_K571_ Virus via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by ._NIST_K571_ Virus.
Ransomware infections and ._NIST_K571_ Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Simply click on the link and on the website menus on top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
._NIST_K571_ Virus FAQ
What is ._NIST_K571_ Virus ransomware and how does it work?
._NIST_K571_ Virus is a ransomware infection - the malicious software that enters your computer silently and blocks either access to the computer itself or encrypt your files.
Many ransomware viruses use sophisticated encryption algorithm how to make your files inaccessible. The goal of ransomware infections is to demand that you pay a ransom payment to get access to your files back.
How does ._NIST_K571_ Virus ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways.._NIST_K571_ Virus Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing e-mails, containing virus attachment.
This attachment is usually masked as an important document, like an invoice, bank document or even a plane ticket and it looks very convincing to users.
After you download and execute this attachment, a drive-by download occurs and your computer is infected with the ransomware virus.
Another way, you may become a victim of ._NIST_K571_ Virus is if you download a fake installer, crack or patch from a low reputation website or if you click on a virus link. Many users report getting a ransomware infection by downloading torrents.
How to open .._NIST_K571_ Virus files?
You can't. At this point the .._NIST_K571_ Virus files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted.
Decryptor did not decrypt my data. What now?
Do not panic and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your .._NIST_K571_ Virus files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by ._NIST_K571_ Virus ransomware is to use a decryptor for it. But since it's a new virus, advised that the decryption keys for it may not be out yet and available to the public. We will update this article and keep you posted as soon as this decryptor is released.
How Do I restore ".._NIST_K571_ Virus" files (Other Methods)?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .._NIST_K571_ Virus files.
These methods are in no way 100% guarantee that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How do I get rid of ._NIST_K571_ Virus ransomware virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti malware software. It will scan for and locate ._NIST_K571_ Virus ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .._NIST_K571_ Virus files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like ._NIST_K571_ Virus ransomware also install Trojans and keyloggers that can steal your passwords and accounts. Scanning your computer with an anti-malware software will make sure that all of these virus components are removed and your computer is protected in the future.
What to Do If nothing works?
There is still a lot you can do. If none of the above methods seem to work for you, then try these methods:
- Try to find a safe computer from where you can can login on your own line accounts like One Drive, iDrive, Google Drive and so on.
- Try to contact your friends, relatives and other people so that they can check if they have some of your important photos or documents just in case you sent them.
- Also, check if some of the files that were encrypted it can be re-downloaded from the web.
- Another clever way to get back some of your files is to find another old computer, a flash drive or even a CD or a DVD where you may have saved your older documents. You might be surprised what will turn up.
- You can also go to your email account to check if you can send any attachments to other people. Usually what is sent the email is saved on your account and you can re-download it. But most importantly, make sure that this is done from a safe computer and make sure to remove the virus first.
More tips you can find on our forums, where you can also asks any questions about your ransomware problem.
How to Report Ransomware to Authorities?
In case your computer got infected with a ransomware infection, you can report it to the local Police departments. It can help authorities worldwide track and determine the perpetrators behind the virus that has infected your computer. Below, we have prepared a list with government websites, where you can file a report in case you are a victim of a cybercrime:
Cyber-security authorities, responsible for handling ransomware attack reports in different regions all over the world:
- Germany - Offizielles Portal der deutschen Polizei
- United States - IC3 Internet Crime Complaint Centre
- United Kingdom - Action Fraud Police
- France - Ministère de l'Intérieur
- Italy - Polizia Di Stato
- Spain - Policía Nacional
- Netherlands - Politie
- Poland - Policja
- Portugal - Polícia Judiciária
- Greece - Cyber Crime Unit (Hellenic Police)
- India - Mumbai Police - CyberCrime Investigation Cell
- Australia - Australian High Tech Crime Center
Reports may be responded to in different timeframes, depending on your local authorities.
