Gergana Ivanova

Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.

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This article provides detailed removal instructions for the latest variant of Scarab ransomware dubbed .amnesia files virus. Several file restore methods could be find as well.

A new version of Scarab ransomware has been released in active attack campaigns. It encrypts target files with the help of strong cipher algorithm and then designates them with the specific extension .amnesia. Apparently, the name of the latest Scarab version is a derivative of the extension it appends to corrupted files. Another trait of .amnesia crypto virus is the ransom note file HOW TO RECOVER ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT it drops on the desktop. Keep reading to find out how to remove the ransomware and restore encrypted .amnesia files without paying the ransom.

Threat Summary

Name	.amnesia Files Virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	Encrypts valuable files stored on the compromised computer and then blackmails victims to pay a ransom in order to get them back.
Symptoms	Encrypted files have the extension .amnesia appended to them. The ransom note is dropped in a file named HOW TO RECOVER ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by .amnesia Files Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .amnesia Files 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.

.amnesia Files Virus – Methods of Distribution

The infection file that triggers .amnesia files virus could be spread with the help of various techniques. Some of the most common are email spam messages, malicious email attachments, malicious URLs, infected software setups and fake updates.

In order to trick you into infecting yourself with the ransomware hackers could send you an email with spoofed email address and sender name. So you should act wisely even when you receive emails that pose as representatives of well-known companies or institutions. Especially if the emails incorporate file attachments described as important documents that need to be reviewed as soon as possible. In case that you make the mistake to open the malicious file you automatically grant access to .amnesia ransomware to your system.

Emails of the same kind could also present suspicious URLs in their main part. Once you click the link it lands you on a corrupted web page that is set to download the ransomware payload directly on your system.

.amnesia Files Virus – Impact

At first, .amnesia crypto virus needs to establish all infection files on the system. For the purpose it could spawn a lot of processes, create several malicious files and modify system settings.

There are several essential system folders that are often used by ransomware to store their malicious files. The .amnesia crypto virus is not an exception and as the analyses of its samples reveal it creates and drops malicious files on the following folders:

• %AppData%
• %Roaming%
• %Temp%
• %Common%
• %{User’s Profile}%

However, the files associated with the infection are not that easy to identify as it could use the names of legitimate system files and processes. That’s why it is recommendable to use the help of an advanced anti-malware tool during the removal process. Such a program could easily analyze the code of all files stored on the system and detect the ones that have some malicious traits.

Before the encryption process, this new iteration of Scarab ransomware enters the Registry Editor to modify auto-execute functionalities and this way ensure its persistent presence on the infected host. By creating malicious values under some specific registry sub-keys, .amnesia ransomware is able to run its malicious files on each Windows start. Targeted registry keys are usually Run and RunOnce as they manage the automatic execution of all essential processes needed for the regular system load.

The final stage of .amnesia infection is reached when a specific ransom message associated with the ransomware appears on the PC screen. The message could be dropped on the desktop in a file named HOW TO RECOVER ENCRYPTED FILES.TXT. It informs the following:

HOW TO DECRYPT YOUR FILES
===
HOW TO DECRYPT YOUR FILES
Your personal ID
6902000000000000***69F401
Your files, documents, photo, databases and all the rest aren’t
They are ciphered by the most reliable enciphering.
It is impossible to restore files without our help.
You will try to restore files independent you will lose files
FOREVER.
—
You will be able to restore files so:
to contact us by e-mail: [email protected]
* report your ID and we will switch off any removal of files
(if don’t report your ID identifier, then each 24 hours will be
to be removed on 24 files. If report to ID-we will switch off it)
* you send your ID identifier and 2 files, up to 1 MB in size everyone.
We decipher them, as proof of a possibility of interpretation.
also you receive the instruction where and how many it is necessary to pay.
you pay and confirm payment.
after payment you receive the DECODER program. which you restore ALL YOUR FILES.
—
You have 72 hours on payment.
If you don’t manage to pay in 72 hours, then the price of interpretation increases twice.
The price increases twice each 72 hours.
To restore files, without loss, and on the minimum tariff, you have to pay within 72 hours.
Address for detailed instructions e-mail: [email protected]
* If you don’t waste time for attempts to decipher, then you will be able to restore all files in 1 hour.
* If you try to decipher – you can FOREVER lose your files.
* Decoders of other users are incompatible with your data as at each user unique key of enciphering
If it is impossible to communicate through mail
* Be registered on the website http://bitmsg.me (service online of sending Bitmessage)
* Write the letter to the address BM-2cVNaCJejHJpnyLrtXYGJVfVdviHfa1jpd with the indication of your mail and the personal identifier and we will communicate.
—
If you have no bitcoins
* Create Bitcoin purse: https://blockchain.info
* Buy Bitcoin in the convenient way
https://localbitcoins.com/ru/buy_bitcoins (Visa/MasterCard)
https://www.buybitcoinworldwide.com/ (Visa/MasterCard)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin (the instruction for beginners)
– It doesn’t make sense to complain of us and to arrange a hysterics.
– Complaints having blocked e-mail, you deprive a possibility of the others, to decipher the computers.
Other people at whom computers are also ciphered you deprive of the ONLY hope to decipher. FOREVER.
– Just contact with us, we will stipulate conditions of interpretation of files and available payment, in a friendly situation

.amnesia Files Virus – Encryption Process

As regards the main purpose of .amnesia files virus it is the encryption of target file types stored on the compromised device. For this purpose, it utilizes the strong AES cipher algorithm that modifies the original code of each target file. Once encrypted files receive the extension .amnesia and remain out of order until a working decryption solution is applied to them. They could be also recognized by the strange names that are renamed with base64.

As a result of infection your documents, images, projects, videos, text files, databases and other files that store valuable information could be encrypted. The most common types of files encrypted by ransomware viruses are the following:

→ “PNG .PSD .PSPIMAGE .TGA .THM .TIF .TIFF .YUV .AI .EPS .PS .SVG .INDD .PCT .PDF .XLR .XLS .XLSX .ACCDB .DB .DBF .MDB .PDB .SQL .APK .APP .BAT .CGI .COM .EXE .GADGET .JAR .PIF .WSF .DEM .GAM .NES .ROM .SAV CAD Files .DWG .DXF GIS Files .GPX .KML .KMZ .ASP .ASPX .CER .CFM .CSR .CSS .HTM .HTML .JS .JSP .PHP .RSS .XHTML. DOC .DOCX .LOG .MSG .ODT .PAGES .RTF .TEX .TXT .WPD .WPS .CSV .DAT .GED .KEY .KEYCHAIN .PPS .PPT .PPTX .INI .PRF Encoded Files .HQX .MIM .UUE .7Z .CBR .DEB .GZ .PKG .RAR .RPM .SITX .TAR.GZ .ZIP .ZIPX .BIN .CUE .DMG .ISO .MDF .TOAST .VCD SDF .TAR .TAX2014 .TAX2015 .VCF .XML Audio Files .AIF .IFF .M3U .M4A .MID .MP3 .MPA .WAV .WMA Video Files .3G2 .3GP .ASF .AVI .FLV .M4V .MOV .MP4 .MPG .RM .SRT .SWF .VOB .WMV 3D .3DM .3DS .MAX .OBJ R.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG .CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG”Source:fileinfo.com

Hackers demand a ransom payment in order to provide decryption solution for .amnesia files. The ransom amount is not specified but it should be supposedly transferred in Bitcoin. Have in mind that its payment doesn’t guarantee the decryption of your files. In many cases, infected users pay the ransom and don’t receive any key or decryptor. It is advisable to try alternative methods to restore .amnesia files.

Remove .amnesia Crypto Virus and Restore Files

The step-by-step removal guide below provides both manual and automatic approaches. Beware that the removal of .amnesia Files Virus is not an easy task. It is a severe threat that plagues the whole system. For maximum efficiency, security researchers recommend the help of advanced anti-malware tool.

After you fulfill the removal process make sure to check the “Restore Files” step available in our guide below. But before that be advised to back up all encrypted files to an external drive and prevent their irreversible loss.

Note! Your computer system may be affected by .amnesia Files Virus 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 Files Virus.
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 Files Virus follow these steps:

1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .amnesia Files Virus 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 .amnesia Files Virus on your PC

Find files created by .amnesia Files Virus

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 .amnesia Files Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for .amnesia Files Virus and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove .amnesia Files Virus. 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.

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.

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 .

SOS Online Backup

4. Try to Restore files encrypted by .amnesia Files Virus

Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .amnesia Files Virus

Ransomware infections and .amnesia Files Virus 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:

• Stellar Data Recovery Technicians License(Pro version with more features)
• Stellar Windows Data Recovery
• Stellar Photo Recovery

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:

• Kaspersky Decryptors
• Emsisoft Decryptors

Method 3: Using Shadow Explorer

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:

• Shadow Explorer

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:

Instructions on How to Find Decryption Key for Files Encrypted By Ransowmare

Gergana Ivanova

Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.

More Posts

Follow Me:

Gergana Ivanova

Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.

More Posts

Follow Me: