.ACTUM File Virus – How to Remove and Restore Encrypted Files

This article has been created to show you how to remove .ACTUM file ransomware and restore files that have been encrypted by this virus on your computer system.

The GlobeImposter ransomware family of viruses has been on the rise since the beginning of August 2017. First, the virus began with malicious e-mail spam campaigns that carry 3-digit file extensions which they add to the files, encrypted by this ransomware virus. Then, the virus switched to words in it’s “.astra file” variant which is also increasing in popularity. And now the virus is here once again with the .ACTUM file extension which it again ads to the files that have been encrypted by the virus. Then, the .ACTUM file virus aims to extort it’s victims for a hefty ransom fee in the cryptocurrency BitCoin. If you are one of the victims of .ACTUM GlobeImposter variant, we would suggest that you read this article thoroughly.

SensorsTechForum is currently looking into .ACTUM ransomware. Stay tuned for an update in the next 12 hours.

Threat Summary

Name	.ACTUM Virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	GlobeImposter variant. Encrypts the files on the computer it has previously infected and then asks the owner to pay a ransom to get their important files back.
Symptoms	Documents, audio files, videos, images, archvies are encrypted. The .ACTUM file extension is added along with a ransom note.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by .ACTUM Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .ACTUM Virus.
Data Recovery Tool	Windows Data Recovery by Stellar Phoenix Notice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive.

How Does .ACTUM Ransomware Spread

The cyber-criminals behind the latest iterations of GlobeImposter ransomware, including the .ACTUM variant use the same method to spread the ransomware – via e-mail spam that carries malicious e-mail attachments. The spammed e-mail messages may contain various different types of topics and e-mail bodies. The most often used one is the message, pretending that the malicious attachment within the e-mail address is actually a form of a receipt for a purchase the victim has not made. This is very effective, especially when it comes to the average users who get tricked into this and actually download and open the malicious file, which causes the infection.

More Information on .ACTUM File Virus

Once an infection with the .ACTUM GlobeImposter variant takes place, the virus may immediately attack your Windows Task Manager. In it, .ACTUM file virus runs malicious system processes which give it total control (administrative permissons) over your computer. This results in the .ACTUM file virus performing different malicious activities on your computer, like deleting your shadow volume copies by using the vssadmin command:

→ vssadmin delete shadows /for={DrivePartition} /oldest | /all | /shadow={Identification of the shadow copies}] /quiet

In addition to this, the .ACTUM file virus may also attack the Windows Registry Editor of the affected computer, more specifically it may add value strings in the Run and RunOnce registry keys of Windows. This results in the malware running automatically on Windows start up. The sub-keys have the following location:

→ 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

How Does .ACTUM File Virus Encrypt Files

The encryption used by the .ACTUM variant of GlobeImposter is conducted via the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) algorithm with a 2048-bit strenght. This cipher makes sure that each encryption generates a separate encryption keys – public and private one. The public one can be factorized, however without the private key, you cannot unlock the files even if you wanted to. The .ACTUM file virus targets the following types of files to encrypt them:

→ .$er .4db .4dd .4d .4mp .abs .abx .accdb .accdc .accde .accdr .accdt .accdw .accft .adn .adp .aft .ahd .alf .ask .awdb .azz .bdb .bib .bnd .bok .btr .cdb .cdb .cdb .ckp .clkw .cma .crd .daconnections .dacpac .dad .dadiagrams .daf .daschema .db .db-shm .db-wa .db2 .db3 .dbc .dbf .dbf .dbk .dbs .dbt .dbv .dbx .dcb .dct .dcx .dd .df1 .dmo .dnc .dp1 .dqy .dsk .dsn .dta .dtsx .dx .eco .ecx .edb .emd .eq .fcd .fdb .fic .fid .fi .fm5 .fmp .fmp12 .fmps .fo .fp3 .fp4 .fp5 .fp7 .fpt .fzb .fzv .gdb .gwi .hdb .his .ib .idc .ihx .itdb .itw .jtx .kdb .lgc .maq .mdb .mdbhtm .mdf .mdn .mdt .mrg .mud .mwb .myd .ndf .ns2 .ns3 .ns4 .nsf .nv2 .nyf .oce .odb .oqy .ora .orx .owc .owg .oyx .p96 .p97 .pan .pdb .pdm .phm .pnz .pth .pwa .qpx .qry .qvd .rctd .rdb .rpd .rsd .sbf .sdb .sdf .spq .sqb .sq .sqlite .sqlite3 .sqlitedb .str .tcx .tdt .te .teacher .tmd .trm .udb .usr .v12 .vdb .vpd .wdb .wmdb .xdb .xld .xlgc .zdb .zdc

If you have files that have the file extensions below, blocks of data on them, like their headers, is encrypted and they can no longer be opened. After the encryption process has completed, this ransomware virus adds the .ACTUM file extension to the encrypted files. The files appear like the following example:

→ New Text Document.txt.ACTUM

Remove .ACTUM GlobeImposter and Restore Encrypted Files

For the removal process of the .ACTUM file virus it is important to know that you must perform a backup of your important files beforehand. After doing so, we would suggest to follow the instructions below as they are specifically designed to help you remove this virus from your computer system either manually or automatically. Be advised that the best method to remove this virus is to do it automatically using a ransomware-specific removal tool. Such will fully and swiftly remove .ACTUM ransomware and ensure future protection as well.

If you want to restore files that have been encrypted by this ransomware virus, we suggest that you focus on trying out our alternative file recovery options below in step “2. Restore files encrypted by .ACTUM virus”. They are specifically designed to help you restore as many files as you can, without paying the ransom.

Manually delete .ACTUM Virus from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the .ACTUM Virus threat: Manual removal of .ACTUM Virus requires interference with system files and registries. Thus, it can cause damage to your PC. Even if your computer skills are not at a professional level, don’t worry. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using a malware removal tool.

1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .ACTUM Virus files and objects

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by .ACTUM Virus on your PC.

For Windows XP, Vista, 7 systems:

1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu.
2. Select one of the two options provided below:

– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.

– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.

3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.

4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account

While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.

Step 1: Open the Start Menu

Step 2: Whilst holding down Shift button, click on Power and then click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, the aftermentioned menu will appear. From there you should choose Troubleshoot.

Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu you can choose Advanced Options.

Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.

Step 6: Click on Restart.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You should choose Safe Mode by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries of your computer to change different settings. This is why manual clean up of your Windows Registry Database is strongly recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit lenghty, we recommend following our instructive article about fixing registry entries.

2.Find malicious files created by .ACTUM Virus on your PC

Find malicious files created by .ACTUM Virus

1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.

For Newer Windows Operating Systems

Step 1:

On your keyboard press  + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.

Step 2:

Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.

Step 3:

Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:

N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.

For Older Windows Operating Systems

In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:

Step 1:

Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.

Step 2:

After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.

Step 3:

After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.

Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.

Automatically remove .ACTUM Virus by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove .ACTUM Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove .ACTUM Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove .ACTUM Virus.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove .ACTUM Virus. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by .ACTUM Virus in the future.

Step 1:Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is highly recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to automatically update.

Step1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Scan Computer Now’ button.

Step2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any .ACTUM Virus files, click on the ‘Fix Threats’ button to remove them automatically and permanently.

Step3: Once the intrusions on your PC have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart it.

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data automatically with cloud backup and insure it against any type of data loss on your device, even the most severe. We recommend reading more about and downloading SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

2. Restore files encrypted by .ACTUM Virus

Restore Files Encrypted by .ACTUM Virus

Ransomware infections like .ACTUM Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to directly decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that they may not be 100% effective but they may help you little or a lot in some situations.

MAIN METHOD: Trying out the Emsisoft GlobeImposter Decrypter

Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software.
Another method of restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. Here are some suggestions for preferred data recovery software solutions:

• Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery Technicians License(Pro version with more features)
• Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery
• Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery

Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors.
If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:

• Kaspersky Decryptors
• Emsisoft Decryptors

Urgent! It is strongly advisable to first remove the .ACTUM Virus threat before attempting any decryption, since it may interfere with system files and registries. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using an advanced malware removal tool.

Method 3: Using Shadow Explorer

To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for shadow copies in Windows using this software if ransomware has not deleted them:

• Shadow Explorer

Method 4: Finding .ACTUM Virus decryption key while it communicates it via a network sniffing software.

Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key. See how-to instructions below:

Instructions on How to Find Decryption Key for Files Encrypted By Ransowmare

Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools

Remove .ACTUM Virus Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove .ACTUM Virus.
Step 1: Download STOPZilla by clicking here.
Step 2: A pop-up window will appear. Click on the ‘Save File’ button. If it does not, click on the Download button and save it afterwards.

Step 3: After you have downloaded the setup, simply open it.
Step 4: The installer should appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 5: Check the ‘I accept the agreement’ check circle if not checked if you accept it and click the ‘Next’ button once again.

Step 6: Review and click on the ‘Install’ button.

Step 7: After the installation process has completed click on the ‘Finish’ button.

2. Scan your PC with STOPZilla Anti Malware to remove all .ACTUM Virus associated files completely.
Step 1: Launch STOPZilla if you haven’t launched it after install.
Step 2: Wait for the software to automatically scan and then click on the ‘Repair Now’ button. If it does not scan automatically, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button.

Step 3: After the removal of all threats and associated objects, you should Restart your PC.

Vencislav Krustev

A network administrator and malware researcher at SensorsTechForum with passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cyber security. Strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

More Posts - Website