Another variant of the many Troldesh ransomware variants leaving the e-mail [email protected] has been detected in the wild. The ransomware virus is reported to use an advanced AES encryption algorith with 128-bit strength, the decryption for which is reported to be next to impossible. The ransomware has been reported to spread via several multiple ways by ESG malware researchers. It may also drop a ransom note where it may leave instructions on how to decrypt user files after the affected users pay a ransom payoff, which is usually in BitCoin. We advise you to read this article to learn how to remove [email protected] Ransomware from your computer and restore your encrypted files.
Decrypt Files Encrypted by Shade Ransowmare
Threat Summary
| Name | [email protected] |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Short Description | A variant of the .XTBL ransomware viruses. Encrypts files with a strong encryption and drops a ransom note with payoff for decryption instructions. |
| Symptoms | After encryption the ransomware may steal information and appends .xtbl extension after every file. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments, File Sharing Networks. |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by [email protected] Download Malware Removal Tool |
| User Experience | Join our forum to Discuss [email protected] Ransomware. |
| 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. |
[email protected] Ransomware – Distribution Strategy
For it to infect users, the virus may utilize several different technologies. No matter what type of technology it uses, whether it is remove brute forcing to control the computer, Exploit Kits, JavaScript or directly inserting obfuscated executables, the infection may proceed in two main ways.
One scenario is if the user clicks on a malicious URL that may cause a browser redirect and the infection of the user PC via a JavaScript or a drive-by-download.
Another scenario is for users to open a malicious e-mail attachments that may be obfuscated from their antivirus and cause the infection. Such attachments usually exist in several different forms, but most of them resemble either Microsoft Office documents or Adobe Reader PDF files.
[email protected] Ransomware – How Does It Work?
After the [email protected] Ransomware has infected your computer, the virus might connect to a remote location and send the following information to the attackers:
- Windows version.
- IP networking information.
- Antivirus software is installed.
Based on such information the actual payload may be dropped in concealed form that prevents detections from any antivirus software that might be installed on the user PC. The malicious files may be dropped in several Windows locations and under different names:
Typical to the XTBL ransomware variants is to also drop ransom note type of files in the Startup folder of Windows to make these viruses run when Windows boots up. Here is the default location of the folder:
→C:\Users\
In addition to having done this, the [email protected] virus may also execute a privileged command in Windows command prompt, called “vssadmin delete shadows” that will delete the Windows Shadow Volume Copies without the user even noticing it has happened.
When it has been executed and started to encrypt files, [email protected] ransomware may look for a pre-programmed set of file extensions that it will encode:
→ .odc, .odm, .odp, .ods, .odt, .docm, .docx, .doc, .odb, .mp4, sql, .7z, .m4a, .rar, .wma, .gdb, .tax, .pkpass, .bc6, .bc7, .avi, .wmv, .csv, .d3dbsp, .zip, .sie, .sum, .ibank, .t13, .t12, .qdf, .bkp, .qic, .bkf, .sidn, .sidd, .mddata, .itl, .itdb, .icxs, .hvpl, .hplg, .hkdb, .mdbackup, .syncdb, .gho, .cas, .svg, .map, .wmo, .itm, .sb, .fos, .mov, .vdf, .ztmp, .sis, .sid, .ncf, .menu, .layout, .dmp, .blob, .esm, .vcf, .vtf, .dazip, .fpk, .mlx, .kf, .iwd, .vpk, .tor, .psk, .rim, .w3x, .fsh, .ntl, .arch00, .lvl, .snx, .cfr, .ff, .vpp_pc, .lrf, .m2, .mcmeta, .vfs0, .mpqge, .kdb, .db0, .dba, .rofl, .hkx, .bar, .upk, .das, .iwi, .litemod, .asset, .forge, .ltx, .bsa, .apk, .re4, .sav, .lbf, .slm, .bik, .epk, .rgss3a, .pak, .big, wallet, .wotreplay, .xxx, .desc, .py, .m3u, .flv, .js, .css, .rb, .png, .jpeg, .txt, .p7c, .p7b, .p12, .pfx, .pem, .crt, .cer, .der, .x3f, .srw, .pef, .ptx, .r3d, .rw2, .rwl, .raw, .raf, .orf, .nrw, .mrwref, .mef, .erf, .kdc, .dcr, .cr2, .crw, .bay, .sr2, .srf, .arw, .3fr, .dng, .jpe, .jpg, .cdr, .indd, .ai, .eps, .pdf, .pdd, .psd, .dbf, .mdf, .wb2, .rtf, .wpd, .dxg, .xf, .dwg, .pst, .accdb, .mdb, .pptm, .pptx, .ppt, .xlk, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xls, .wps.Source:fileinfo.com
This is usually done to avoid any critical Windows files being encrypted and hence prevent Windows from ever starting again.
The files which are encrypted by the [email protected] ransomware virus are left with a quite long file extension. It may either be the .xtbl or .CrySiS file extension and in addition to that it includes:
- Unique alpha-numerical identifier.
- The e-mail address [email protected]
Files that have been encoded with this file extension may look like the following example:
[email protected] Virus – Conclusion, Removal, and File Restoration
As a bottom line, there are many variants of this virus and malware researchers feel convinced that it may be sold directly as a pack of tools for infection and distribution in the deep web forums. Not only this, but the virus is also reported to be a part of a RaaS (ransomware as a service) scheme, and it might also have various modifications, depending on each variant. Either way, researchers strongly advise not to pay any ransom asked by cyber-criminals and wait for a decrypter to be released.
To completely delete [email protected] virus, it is strongly advisable to follow the removal instructions posted below. They along with some of the information in this article may help you locate and delete the files and objects associated with [email protected] ransomware. In case manual removal fails or you feel like the virus is still on your computer, it is them almost a must to download and install an advanced anti-malware software on your computer or reinstall it and copy the files to another carrier.
If you want to restore your files, you may want to use the alternative tools in step “3.Restore files encrypted by [email protected] Ransomware”. Bear in mind, that you should make copies of the encrypted files, just in case direct decryption methods damage them in a way.
