Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.
Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.
Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.
Note! Your computer might be affected by Cradle and other threats.
Threats such as Cradle 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
Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.
This article will aid you to remove the Cradle ransomware absolutely. Follow the ransomware removal instructions provided at the bottom of this article.
Cradle ransomware is a cryptovirus. The extension it puts to all files after encryption is .cradle. A ransom note named _HOW_TO_UNLOCK_FILES_.html points to a TOR-based Web page, which contains instructions about payment. The sum of 0.25 Bitcoins is demanded from the cybercriminals for paying the ransom. Read on through and find out what ways you could try to potentially recover some of your files and data.
Threat Summary
Name
Cradle
Type
Ransomware
Short Description
The sransomware encrypts files on your computer system and it shows a ransom note afterward.
Symptoms
This ransomware virus will encrypt your files and place the .cradle extension on each one of them.
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.
Cradle Ransomware – Delivery Tactics
The Cradle ransomware might be delivered by utilizing different tactics. The payload dropper file which initiates the malicious script for the ransomware is found to be circling the Internet. Malware researchers have not yet seen a live sample, so no specific analysis exists of that particular executable file that contains the payload script.
The Cradle ransomware might be using other ways to deliver the payload file, in question, such as social media sites or file-sharing services. Freeware applications found on the Web could be promoted as helpful but also could hide the malicious script for this virus. Before opening any files after you have downloaded them, you should instead scan them with a security program. Especially if they come from suspicious places, such as emails or links. Also, don’t forget to check the size and signatures of such files for anything that seems out of place. You should read the ransomware preventing tips given in the forum.
Cradle Ransomware – Technical Information
The Cradle ransomware is a cryptovirus, which is still sought by malware researchers for a deeper analysis. When the Cradle ransomware encrypts your files it will place the .cradle extension to every encrypted file.
The Cradle ransomware might make new registry entries in the Windows Registry to achieve a higher level of persistence. Those entries are usually designed in a way that will start the virus automatically with every launch of the Windows Operating System, like in the example provided below, such as the example given down here:
A ransom message will be placed inside your computer system right after the encryption process is complete. The ransom note file is called _HOW_TO_UNLOCK_FILES_.html and it contains a link to a TOR Web page. Once you open that page, this is the message that will load on it:
That ransom message with instructions reads the following:
Unlock Your Files You are here because your files are locked with military-grade encryption! To unlock your files you must purchase the decryption software. It is the only way to restore your files. As soon as payment is received, a software download button will appear on this page. Only software from this site can unlock vour files! To bookmark this page press [Ctrl+D]. Payment ID: 5X9 Website: https://pn6fsoQSzhQlxz4n.onion.to/5X9 Price: 0.25 Bitcoins Bitcoin Address: lKhk3pcJGYSnBmPF3D3JyblA5yh8ztHN7P Time Left: 3 days, 11 hrs 28 mins 33 secs
Follow these instructions carefully: 1. Payment must be made in Bitcoin currency. No other form of payment is accepted. 2. Time is running out! The price will double when the time expires! 3. After 14 days of nonpayment, vour files will be locked forever!!! 4. DO NOT attempt to restore the files yourself! You WILL destory them if you try. 5. Purchase 0.25 Bitcoins and send to 1Khk3pcJGYSnBmPF3D3JyblA5yh8ztHN7P 6. Return to this page and download the software. 7. Confirmation of payment can take up to 1 hour. Be patient and check back often.
Where do I Buy Bitcoins? The best resource for purchasing Bitcoin is the Buy Bitcoin World Wide website: https://www.buybitcoinworldwide.com Another website offering quick Bitcoin purchases is LocalBitcoins: https://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins This is the official bitcoin website: https://bitcoin.org
The makers of the Cradle cryptovirus demand that you pay a ransom sum of 0.25 Bitcoins, which is the equivalent of nearly 285 US dollars at the moment of writing this article. However, you should NOT meet their demands, nor contact these crooks under any circumstances. By proceeding with a payment you only will give money to the criminals, and nobody can guarantee that you will recover your data by doing so. To add to that, providing money to the cybercriminals is probably going to ignite their motivation to do more criminal acts, including the making of ransomware viruses.
Cradle Ransomware – Encryption Process
There is no official list with file extensions that the Cradle ransomware seeks to encrypt at this moment. However, this article will get duly updated if there anything new about this matter surfaces. All encrypted files will receive the .cradle extension, which will be appended to them.
The Cradle cryptovirus is quite possible to delete the Shadow Volume Copies from the Windows Operating System by using the following command:
→vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /Quiet
If the command stated above is initiated, that will make the encryption process a bit more effective, as one of the ways for file recovery will get lost. Continue reading and find out what kinds of methods you can try out to potentially restore some of your data files.
Remove Cradle Ransomware and Restore .Cradle Files
If your computer got infected with the Cradle 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.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Cradle 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 Cradle. 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 Cradle follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Cradle 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 Cradle on your PC
Find files created by Cradle
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.
IMPORTANT! Before starting the Automatic Removal below, 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.
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 Cradle with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Cradle and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Cradle. 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 Cradle
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Cradle
Ransomware infections and Cradle 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:
Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.
Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.
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 Cradle and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
