.##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus – Remove and Restore Files

This article will help you to remove the .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## virus fully. Follow the ransomware removal instructions at the end of the article.

The .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## File Virus is in actuality Jigsaw ransomware. The cryptovirus is back with a new ransom screen message and various new pictures. The malware is written with the code of the original malware. The virus has a list with over 120 file extensions that seeks to encrypt. All of the locked files will get the extension .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## appended to them.

Threat Summary

Name	.##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	The ransomware will encrypt your files and display a screen with the ransom note, which has various themes, including the Anonymous group wearing Guy Fawkes masks.
Symptoms	The ransomware will encrypt files by placing the .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## extension to all of them.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus.

.##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## File Virus – Spread

Jigsaw ransomware could infect computers using different methods for spreading that infection. Spam e-mails could be spreading its payload dropper. Those types of emails will try to convince you that something important is attached as a file to that e-mail. In actuality, the attachment will look like a legitimate document or one that is archived, but it is a file containing a malicious script. If you open that file, it will launch the payload for the ransomware. You can preview the analysis of one such file on the VirusTotal service:

Jigsaw ransomware might be using other methods for spreading, like putting the payload file dropper via social media and file-sharing sites. Freeware applications which roam the Internet could be presented as useful but also could hide the malicious files of this virus. Refrain from opening files after you download them, especially if they come from unverified sources, such as links and e-mails. First, you should scan these files with a security tool, and also make sure to check their sizes and signatures for anything that seems unusual. You should read the ransomware preventing tips topic in the forum.

.##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## File Virus – Details

The Jigsaw ransomware ransomware virus is back with this new variant. This time the theme is based on Anonymous, Death and Shrek as those were all found with this variant. That makes it somewhat different compared to the original Jigsaw ransomware virus.

These are the pictures associated with the current variant of Jigsaw ransomware:

When the Jigsaw virus is initialized, it could modify an existing entry in the Windows Registry or create a new one to achieve a higher level of persistence. That registry entry makes the malware to automatically execute with each launch of the Windows operating system.

Next, a window will pop-up on your screen that shows the following text (ransom):

HELLO VICTIM! ! ! ! !, I’m very sorry, but all your personal files have been encrypted. 🙁
All your documents, videos, pictures, music etc…
And after 72 hours all your encrypted files will be deleted permanently!
But, don’t worry! It will only happen if you don’t comply.
Every hour I select some of them to delete permanently,
therefore I won’t be able to access them, either.
Are you familiar with the concept of exponential growth? Let me help you out.
It starts out slowly then increases rapidly.
During the first 24 hour you will only lose a few files,
the second day a few hundred, the third day a few thousand, and so on.

If you turn off your computer or try to close me, when I start next time
you will get 1000 files deleted as a punishment.
Yes you will want me to start next time, since I am the only one that
is capable to decrypt your personal data for you.
If you have some question, contact us by email: [email protected]

The Jigsaw ransomware scares you that it will delete files from your computer every time you try to close it and that there is nothing else that you can do to prevent that. However, that is a lie. But you should NOT under any circumstances pay any ransom sum as the note is lying to you about the decryption as well – the virus remains decryptable. Supporting cybercriminals is a bad idea as that will only motivate them to do more criminal acts.

.##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## File Virus – Encryption Process

The list is with a little over than 125 file extensions that will become encrypted. The full list is the following:

→.3dm, .3g2, .3gp, .7zip, .aaf, .accdb, .aep, .aepx, .aet, .ai, .aif, .as, .as3, .asf, .asp, .asx, .avi, .bmp, .c, .class, .cpp, .cs, .csv, .dat, .db, .dbf, .doc, .docb, .docm, .docx, .dot, .dotm, .dotx, .dwg, .dxf, .efx, .eps, .fla, .flv, .gif, .h, .idml, .iff, .indb, .indd, .indl, .indt, .inx, .jar, .java, .jpeg, .jpg, .js, .m3u, .m3u8, .m4u, .max, .mdb, .mid, .mkv, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .mpa, .mpeg, .mpg, .msg, .pdb, .pdf, .php, .plb, .pmd, .png, .pot, .potm, .potx, .ppam, .ppj, .pps, .ppsm, .ppsx, .ppt, .pptm, .pptx, .prel, .prproj, .ps, .psd, .py, .ra, .rar, .raw, .rb, .rtf, .sdf, .sdf, .ses, .sldm, .sldx, .sql, .svg, .swf, .tif, .txt, .vcf, .vob, .wav, .wma, .wmv, .wpd, .wps, .xla, .xlam, .xll, .xlm, .xls, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xlt, .xltm, .xltx, .xlw, .xml, .xqx, .xqx, .zip

The list with file extensions for encryption could have been updated with more than that. The encrypted files will have the .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## extension appended to all of them, after their file name. The extension .Beep might still be appended in some variants of the ransomware a bit older than the current one.

The Jigsaw ransomware is very likely to erase all Shadow Volume Copies from the Windows operating system, in order to make the encryption process more viable. The command for that is the following:

→vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /Quiet

A decryption tool developed by the malware researcher Michael Gillespie is available for you to try out. Since this variant is new, the decrypter might not work yet, but you should definitely consider running it. You can find it in the bottom of the article.

Remove Jigsaw Virus and Restore .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Files

If your computer got infected with the Jigsaw 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.

Manually delete .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus threat: Manual removal of .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus on your PC

Find malicious files created by .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus

Restore Files Encrypted by .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus

Ransomware infections like .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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.

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: If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use a decrypter developed by Michael Gillespie:

• Jigsaw Ransomware Decrypter

Urgent! It is strongly advisable to first remove the .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## Virus Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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 .##ENCRYPTED_BY_pablukl0cker## 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.

Berta Bilbao

Berta is the Editor-in-Chief of SensorsTechForum. She is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space.

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