Barak Virus (.Barak Files) — How to Remove This Phobos Ransomware

by Martin Beltov | September 9, 2019 | 0 Comments .Barak extension, .Barak virus, Phobos, Phobos Ransomware, ransomware, removal guide

The .Barak virus is a Phobos ransomware that is currently set against target end users on a global scale. There is no information available about the hacking group behind it. It is believed to be a new iteration of the famous ransomware family. This is one of the reasons why we believe that the hackers are experienced.

Once the .Barak virus has started it will execute its built-in sequence of dangerous commands. Depending on local conditions or the specific hacker instructions various actions will take place. The file encryption will begin after them — the encrypting component will use a built-in list of target file type extensions. In the end the victim files will be renamed with the .Barak extension.

Threat Summary

Name	.Barak virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	The ransomware encrypts files on your computer machine and demands a ransom to be paid to allegedly restore them.
Symptoms	The ransomware will blackmail the victims to pay them a decryption fee. Sensitive user data may be encrypted by the ransomware code.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .Barak 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.

.Barak Virus – Distribution and Impact

The .Barak virus is a new version of the Phobos ransomware family. Like other similar threats it has been created in order to target specific targets. At the moment there is no information available about the hacking group behind the ongoing attack campaigns, we anticipate that they may be an experienced collective. This is presumed as most Phobos ransomware samples are known to be used in specific targeted intrusion attempts. They can be also be ordered from the dark underground markets for a certain fee. Whatever the case the virus samples have been observed to be spread across the Internet to both home and company networks. A popular hacking technique is the use construction and coordination of phishing techniques — usually both emails and web sites are considered. They are made in order to resemble legitimate and safe pages, portals or pop-ups. They are commonly hosted on similar sounding domain names and stolen contents.

The .Barak virus can alternatively be placed inside various executive files, the two most popular ones being malicious software installers and infected documents. They are often carried by these pages and emails. The danger with the documents is in the fact that the code can be placed in nearly all of the popular formats: spreadsheets, text documents, databases and presentations. When they are opened by the victims a prompt will be spawned asking the victims to enable the built-in scripts to correctly view the contents. When setup bundles are concerned the hackers choose popular applications which are often installed by the end users: creativity suites, productivity and office apps, system utilities and etc. In some advanced cases the infections can come through browser hijackers which are dangerous plugins made compatible with most popular web browsers and uploaded to their relevant repositories. When the virus has been installed on a given computer it will start a built-in sequence of the intended components. Usually this will have different effects depending on the local conditions or the hacker instructions for the specific machine. A common consequence is the initial information gathering — the engine can be used to scan the contents of the memory and hard disk, both for exposing the identity of the users and generating an unique machine custom ID.

The hijacked data can be used to scan for the presence of any installed security software and services and attempt to bypass them, in some cases they can be even removed from the systm without allowing for them to be installed again. The engine typically searches for apps like firewalls, anti-virus programs, debug and sandbox environments and etc. In some cases they can be bypassed or in some cases entirely removed.

Using the gained information the .Barak virus can also modify the system so that the threat is installed in a persistent way. This means that the virus will be started every time the computer is powered on and it can also disable access to the recovery boot options. If it proceeds with any Windows Registry modifications it can edit existing ones or create new entries for the virus. This is done to create a value for the .BARAK virus thus making it appear as part of the system.

When everything has finished running the .Barak virus will proceed with the actual file encryption. This is done by using a strong cipher that will target the personal data of the users: archives, documents, backups, presentations, multimedia files and etc. When this process has finished running the .Balak extension will be applied to them. Note that the file extension can be either .barak or .Barak depending on the actual version.

.Barak Virus – What Does It Do?

.Barak Virus could spread its infection in various ways. A payload dropper which initiates the malicious script for this ransomware is being spread around the Internet. .Barak Virus might also distribute its payload file on social media and file-sharing services. Freeware which is found on the Web can be presented as helpful also be hiding the malicious script for the cryptovirus. Read the tips for ransomware prevention from our forum.

.Barak Virus is a cryptovirus that encrypts your files and shows a window with instructions on your computer screen. The extortionists want you to pay a ransom for the alleged restoration of your files. The main engine could make entries in the Windows Registry to achieve persistence, and interfere with processes in Windows.

The .Barak Virus is a crypto virus programmed to encrypt user data. As soon as all modules have finished running in their prescribed order the lockscreen will launch an application frame which will prevent the users from interacting with their computers. It will display the ransomware note to the victims.

You should NOT under any circumstances pay any ransom sum. Your files may not get recovered, and nobody could give you a guarantee for that.

The .Barak Virus cryptovirus could be set to erase all the Shadow Volume Copies from the Windows operating system with the help of the following command:

→vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /Quiet

If your computer device was infected with this ransomware and your files are locked, read on through to find out how you could potentially restore your files back to normal.

Remove .Barak Virus

If your computer system got infected with the .Barak Files ransomware virus, 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.

How to Remove .Barak virus from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .Barak virus

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

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall .Barak 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:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by .Barak 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 .Barak virus there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

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.

IMPORTANT!
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 .Barak virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

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.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. 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.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .Barak virus.

Ransomware infections and .Barak 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.

1. Download the reccomended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:

EaseUS Data Recovery Software

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.

Windows Mac OS X

Get rid of .Barak virus from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall .Barak virus and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to .Barak virus:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to .Barak virus. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to .Barak virus. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

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 .Barak 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as .Barak virus. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

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 2: Scan for and remove malware from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts, programs and malware, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.

Download

Combo Cleaner

Step 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .Barak virus.

1. Download the reccomended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:

EaseUS Data Recovery Software

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.

.Barak virus FAQ

What is .Barak virus ransomware and how does it work?

.Barak 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 .Barak virus ransomware infect my computer?

Via several ways..Barak 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 .Barak 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 ..Barak virus files?

You can't. At this point the ..Barak 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 ..Barak virus files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.

One way to restore files, encrypted by .Barak 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 "..Barak 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 ..Barak 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 .Barak 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 .Barak virus ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important ..Barak virus files.

Also, keep in mind that viruses like .Barak 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.