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 Amnesia 2 and other threats.
Threats such as Amnesia 2 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 aims to assist you in showing how to remove the newly discovered variant of Amnesia ransomware virus’s second variant and how to restore files encrypted by it, that have the .am file extension added to them.
The second variant of the previously detected Amnesia ransomware has been detected to perform various malicious activities on users’ computers. The malware has been reported to use sophisticated encryption in order to render the files on the computers that have been infected by it to no longer being able to be opened state. After doing so, the Amnesia 2 ransomware leaves behind the files of victims encrypted with an added .am file extension after their original names. In addition to this, the ransomware may drop a ransom note, which aims to extort victims into paying a hefty ransom fee in order to get the encrypted files decoded and working again. In the event that your computer has been infected by the .am extension variant of Amnesia ransomware, we recommend that you read the following article and learn how to remove Amnesia 2 and how to restore .am encrypted files.
Threat Summary
Name
Amnesia 2
Type
Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description
New variant of Amnesia ransomware. Encrypt the files on the infected computer and asks for a ransom to be paid in order to decrypt them and get them to work again.
Symptoms
The virus encrypts the files on the computers which it infects successfully and then drops a ransom note plus leaves the files with the .am file extension after encryption is complete.
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.
Amnesia 2 Ransomware – How Does It Infect
The primary infection file which has been detected to be associated with this variant of Amnesia ransomware virus has been reported to be the following at VirusTotal.com:
The file may be dropped from another infection web link or file attachment which may be sent to you via e-mail. Such e-mail messages often pretend that they are completely legitimate and come from reputable companies from the likes of FedEx, DHL, PayPal, eBay and others. The e-mail messages themselves are also quite convincing, such as claiming that you have made an online purchase and must see your receipt (which is the malicious attachment) or that there is a suspicious activity on your bank account and you must click on the link they have provided for more info. If you encounter such e-mails, recommendations are to immediately check whether their content is malicious or not using services such as VirusTotal or ZipeZip.
Amnesia 2 Ransomware – More Information
When the virus was discovered in it’s first variant back in May of 2017, Amnesia had two main sub-variants of it’s first variant.
Amnesia 1.0
The very first variant of the amnesia ransomware used a ransom note, which was named HOW TO RECOVER ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT and this note included the following extortion message:
YOUR FILES ARE ENCRVPTED! Vour personal ID: {UNIQUE ID} Attention! What happened? Vour documents, databases and other important data has been encrypted. IF you want to restore Files send an email to: [email protected] In a letter to indicate your personal identiFier (see in the beginning of this document). Attention! Do not attempt to remove the program or run the anti-virus tools. attempts to self-decrypting files will result in the loss of your data. Decoders are not compatible with other users of your data, because each user’s unique encryption key.
The variant used the traditional for the virus .amnesia file extension and the files begun appearing like the following after encryption by Amnesia 1.0:
Amnesia 1.1
The second iteration of the first variant of Amnesia ransowmare had some major changes in it, starting with the ransom note demanding the exact sum of 0.5 BTC in order to purchase a decrypter for your encoded files. The ransom note had other changes in it as well, like the RECOVER-FILES.HTML name and the new contents in it:
Your files are Encrypted! For data recovery needs decryptor. To buy the decryptor, you must pay the cost of 0.5 Bitcoin [Buy Decryptor] button Free decryption as guarantee. Before paying you can send us 1 file for free decryption. To send a message or file use this form:
The biggest change out of all the changes happening to this virus is the fact that it renames the file completely and adds a file extension that is completely random number, for instance .03. Files encrypted by this version of Amnesia looked somewhat like the following:
Amnesia 2 (Newest Variant)
The latest variant of amnesia which, also detected by malware researcher Michael Gillespie was reported to be a bit of a buggy variant and it still renames the files of the infected computers similar to the 1.1 variant of the virus, however this time, the malware adds the .am file extension to them. After encryption with this variant of Amnesia, your files will look similar to the image below:
In addition to this, the virus also leaves behind an ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT file which contains unique keys of each encrypted file.
Thankfully, it is good to know that all the Amnesia viruses that have been detected so far are decryptable and you must not pay any form of ransom in order to decrypt them. Simply follow the instructions in the removal below in order to learn how you can use the Emsisoft Decrypter in order to decode your encoded files without paying any ransom, after removing the virus.
Amnesia 2 Ransomware – Removal
Before getting down to the decryption of your files, it is important to remove Amnesia 2 ransomware virus safely from your computer. You can do this either manually or automatically, preferably by following the removal instructions down below. They are specifically designed in order to help you delete the malicious files of this virus from your computer without damaging the encrypted files. For maximum effectiveness, malware removal experts strongly recommend to use an advanced anti-malware software which will help remove Amnesia 2 .am variant automatically from your computer.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Amnesia 2 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 Amnesia 2. 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 Amnesia 2 follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Amnesia 2 files and objects
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 Amnesia 2 on your PC
Find files created by Amnesia 2
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 Amnesia 2 with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Amnesia 2 and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Amnesia 2. 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 Amnesia 2
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Amnesia 2
Ransomware infections and Amnesia 2 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 aims to assist you in showing how to remove the newly discovered variant of Amnesia ransomware virus’s second variant and how to restore files encrypted by it, that have the .am 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 Amnesia 2 and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
