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 Flimrans and other threats.
Threats such as Flimrans 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.
Flimrans is a ransomlock virus belonging to the Police Ransomware variants. Such variants lock down the computer of the user preventing any access what so ever to it. The random lock virus leaves instructions on how to pay a fee and in those instructions, it claims to be the ICE cyber-crime center, a branch of the FBI. It “convicts” the user of illegal cyber activities leaving him with methods to pay off the access to the infected computer back. The payment requested by the ransomware is 300 USD paid via the Moneypak online service with a deadline of 48 hours. Users infected by the Flimrans Lockscreen malware are strongly advised to use the instructions we have provided in this article to restore the access to their computer.
Threat Summary
Name
Flimrans
Type
Ransomware
Short Description
Dubbed Flimrans, the ransomware locks users out of their computer demanding 300 USD .
Symptoms
A ransom note with instructions for paying the ransom shows as a “Read me now !.txt” file.
To infect successfully Flimrans is distributed via malicious URL web links or malicious executables. The malicious payload reported to be used by this lock screen malware consists of two files with the same names but different in size:
The executables of the ransomware may be spread from malicious domains to whose URLs the user may have been redirected. Once there, the executables may be downloaded via an exploit kit and slip past the antivirus defenses of the antivirus software of the infected PC.
Once activated, the malicious Flimrans.exe takes advantage of the svchost process to slip past antivirus detection. The files which are created in association with Flimrans via svchost are the following:
→ C:\WINDOWS\system32\wbem\Logs\wbemprox.log C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\AppData\2433f433 C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\AppData\2433f433 C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\AppData\2433f433 C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Temp\Content.IE5\index.dat C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Cookies\index.dat C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\History.IE5\index.dat C\WINDOWS\system32\wbem\Logs\wbemprox.log C:\Documents\{filename}.dll
After doing this, the virus disables Automatic Updates so that the computer may not be patched with security updates.
Not only this, but Flimrans also heavily modifies the registry entries in the Windows Registry Editor, by targeting the following keys and creating custom values in them:
After creating its entries, the ransomware locks down the user, displaying the following message:
The message is very well prepared to resemble an actual FBI lockdown. However users should be aware that such lockdowns by governments may not exist at all, and if they encounter them without doing anything wrong, it is most likely a police ransomware virus like Flimrans. Professional advice is to remove the virus yourself, instead of hiring an expert to do it or paying the 300 USD ransom amount.
Remove Flimrans Ransomware and Restore Access to The Locked PC
In case you have encountered this virus, your first step is to enable the Safe Mode option on your computer, which should eliminate any third-party applications and allow you to locate safely and remove the files and the registry entries created by Flimrans on your computer. The best method, however, remains to install and use an advanced anti-malware software in Safe Mode with Networking so that it automatically takes care of the threat and makes sure other threats and unwanted programs are removed as well as protect you in the future.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Flimrans 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 Flimrans. 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 Flimrans follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Flimrans 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 Flimrans on your PC
Find files created by Flimrans
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 Flimrans with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Flimrans and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Flimrans. 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 Flimrans
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Flimrans
Ransomware infections and Flimrans 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.
Flimrans is a ransomlock virus belonging to the Police Ransomware variants. Such variants lock down the computer of the user preventing any access what so ever to it. The random lock virus leaves instructions on how to pay a fee and in those instructions, it claims to be the ICE cyber-crime center, a branch of the FBI. It “convicts” the user of illegal cyber activities leaving him with methods to pay off the access to the infected computer back. The payment requested by the ransomware is 300 USD paid via the Moneypak online service with a deadline of 48 hours. Users infected by the Flimrans Lockscreen malware are strongly advised to use the instructions we have provided in this article to restore the access to their 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 Flimrans and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
