Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
Note! Your computer might be affected by .aes Files Virus and other threats.
Threats such as .aes Files Virus may be persistent on your system. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like SpyHunter will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files. SpyHunter’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
This article has been created in order to explain what exactly is the ransomware virus using the .aes file extension and how to remove it from your computer plus restore encrypted files having the .aes file extension added to them.
New ransomware infection, using the file extension .aes has been reported by malware researchers to cause various different troubles to victims after it encrypt the files on their computers, possibly using the AES-256 encryption algorithm. The ransomware virus has also been reported to set the .aes file suffix to the encrypted files and drop a ransom note, called Instruction.txt. It’s primary purpose is to get victims to pay a hefty ransom fee in order to get the cyber-crooks to decrypt your files. If your computer has been infected by the .aes files virus, we advise that you read this article to learn how to remove the .aes files virus and how to restore encrypted files without having to pay ransom.
Threat Summary
Name
.aes Files Virus
Type
Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description
Aims to encrypt the files on your computer after which demands a ransom payoff to get the files back.
Symptoms
Files are encrypted with added .aes extension. Ransom note is added, called Instruction.txt.
Distribution Method
Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by .aes Files Virus
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.
.aes Files Virus – How Does It Infect
The main method of infection used by the .aes files virus is believed to be via spammed e-mail messages similar to the one underneath:
In addition to this, the ransomware virus may also be spread via the malicious files being uploaded online, pretending to be:
Setup of a program or game.
Driver.
Patch.
Crackfix.
Key Generator.
.aes Files Virus – More Information and Activity
The .aes files ransomware is the type of infection whose primary purpose is to encrypt the files on the infected computer after which demand a ransom payment from victims. To do this, the malware may perform a set of malicious activities on the victim’s computer, starting with downloading it’s payload files, which may be located in the following windows folders:
%AppData%
%Roaming%
%Local%
%LocalLow%
%SystemDrive%
%Windows%
%System32%
The activity of the ransomware includes modifying the windows registry editor in order to make it so that the malicious executable runs automatically on system start. These keys are the Run and RunOnce sub-keys in the registry editor, in which value strings are added with instructions to run the files, by giving their location:
The .aes Files Virus may also check for the location of the compromised computer and whether or not it is running In a virtual environment. If your PC is running on a virtual drive, it may begin to perform various different activities that may lead to it’s self deletion.
In addition to this, the .aes Files Virus may run the following commands as an administrator on the user’s computer:
Among the files dropped by the .aes files virus is the malware’s ransom note, named Instruction.txt. The ransom note aims to convince the victim to pay the ransom. It has the following contents:
“Important information! All files are encrypted with RSA – 2048 and AES – 256 ciphers. Do not worry, you can restore all the files. We guarantee that all files can be safely restored quickly and safely. For instructions on recovering files, contact us. contact information: [email protected]”
.aes Files Virus – Encryption Process
To encrypt the files on the infected computer, this ransomware infection may use the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption algorithm whose primary purpose is to encrypt the files on the infected computer with a 256 bit strength. The virus aims to scan for legitimate types of files which are used often, like:
Documents.
Music.
Videos.
Recordings.
Images.
Virtual drive files.
After encryption, the .aes files virus generates a unique decryption mode, whose primary purpose is to be used to decrypt the files. However, the victim must pay a hefty ransom in order to obtain that decryption key.
The files appear like the following after they have been encrypted by .aes ransomware:
Remove .aes Files Virus and Restore Encrypted Files
In order to remove this ransomware virus completely from your computer, we advise you to read the following removal instructions and learn how to remove this infection completely from your computer. They are divided in manual or automatic removal manuals whose primary purpose is to help you to remove the .aes file ransomware based on how much experience you have with malware removal. Be advised that security professionals strongly recommend to download an advanced anti-malware software. Such program aims to help you to automatically remove the .aes ransomware from your computer and will also protect your PC against future ransomware infections and other intrusive software.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by .aes Files Virus and other threats. Scan Your PC with SpyHunter SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as .aes Files Virus. Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
To remove .aes Files Virus follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .aes Files Virus files and objects
OFFER
Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!
We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria
Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
For Windows XP, Vista and 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 up the Start Menu.
Step 2: Click on the Power button (for Windows 8 it is the little arrow next to the “Shut Down” button) and whilst holding down “Shift” click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, a blue menu with options will appear. From them you should choose Troubleshoot.
Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu choose Advanced Options.
Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.
Step 6: From the Startup Settings menu, click on Restart.
Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You can choose any of the three Safe Mode options by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.
Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.
2. Find files created by .aes Files Virus on your PC
Find files created by .aes Files Virus
1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
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.
Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs
3. Scan for malware and unwanted programs with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Scan your PC and Remove .aes Files Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for .aes Files Virus and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove .aes Files Virus. Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
Step 1: Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.
It is 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. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.
Step 2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.
Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.
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 with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup.
4. Try to Restore files encrypted by .aes Files Virus
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .aes Files Virus
Ransomware infections and .aes Files Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to 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 these methods may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software. Another method for 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:
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:
To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for Volume Shadow Copies, if ransomware has not deleted them, in Windows using the below software:
Method 4: Finding the decryption key while the cryptovirus sends it over a network via a sniffing tool.
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:
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
This article has been created in order to explain what exactly is the ransomware virus using the .aes file extension and how to remove it from your computer plus restore encrypted files having the .aes file extension added to them.
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7.
2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for .aes Files Virus and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
