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 Able and other threats.
Threats such as Able 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.
Ransomware infection, named Able, written for Brazilian users has been reported to be on the rise. The ransomwar displays a terrifying picture after which notifies users in its ransom note that their files are encrypted. The Brazillian ransomware also adds a “.lock” extension to the files which have been encoded. Researchers have reported that a very strong algorithm has been used(AES-256) which prevents users from accessing their files. Infected users are advised NOT to pay any ransom money demanded by the criminals and wait for alternative solutions. We will post and update here as soon as they are released, so we advise following this article. In the meantime, you may want to remove the ransomware and try restoring your files using the methods which have been provided after this article.
Threat Summary
Name
Able
Type
Ransomware
Short Description
The ransomware encrypts files with a strong cipher and asks a ransom for decryption in Brasilian.
Symptoms
Files are encrypted with the .lock file extension and the AES-256 cipher and become inaccessible. A ransom note with instructions for paying the ransom shows as a “MESAGEM.txt” file.
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.
The Able Ransomware – How Is It Distributed
To successfully spread it across computers, the cyber criminals may use different strategies:
Infected flash drives.
Infected e-mail archives and other attachments such as Microsoft Documents that are spread via malicious macros.
Malicious web links spread across users via different types of spam messages.
Users should be aware of any method that the crooks behind the Brazilian ransomware may use and scan every web link and file they believe is suspicious using VirusTotal before they open it. We also recommend following our security tips for maximum future protection.
The Able Ransomware In Detail
Similar to the Italian Bloccato Ransomware it has been executed on the computer, the Brazilian crypto malware may situate various files in the following Windows locations:
After this has been done, the malware may execute its malicious modules, and they may have different functions. One of the functions may be to modify the following Windows Registry Entries:
This may be done by the Brazilian ransomware to make its malicious file that encrypts the data on the compromised device to run automatically, usually when you restart your computer. Once this file runs, it may begin to scan for and encrypt files with different file extensions, such as the following examples:
After encrypting the files of the compromised computer, the ransomware adds the .lock file extension to the encrypted files of the compromised computer, for example:
→ Picture.jpg.lock
After the files have been encrypted, the virus drops a “MESAGEM.txt” file on the desktop or on the folders with encrypted files. It contains the following ransom note:
→ Original: TODOS OS SEUS ARQUIVOS FORAM BLOQUEADOS ! PARA DESBLOQUEAR SUAS INFORMAÇÕES, ACESSE O LINK: http://is.gd/comunicado1 ou http://is.gd/comunicado2 ou http://is.gd/comunicado3 Translated: ALL YOUR FILES WERE LOCKED! TO UNLOCK YOUR INFORMATION, VISIT THE LINK: http://is.gd/comunicado1 or http://is.gd/comunicado2 or http://is.gd/comunicado3
Not only this, but the .lock malware also sets the following message as a wallpaper on the infected computer:
The message from the wallpaper roughly translates to the following:
→ “All your files were locked !!! So the decryption is the same, go to the ‘message’ file created on your desktop, after accessing instructions follow them for the release of all your files! If you do not follow the steps, your entire database will be deleted !!! Without following the message instructions and impossible the recovery of files !!!!”
Able Ransomware – Summary, Removal, and File Decryption of .lock Files
Malware researchers strongly believe that this devastating ransomware variant is a part of the HiddenTear project. The creators of the ransomware most likely aim at Brazilian or Portuguese computers. They do not fool around, threatening users to lock their computer if they do not pay money to restore their files.
However, in case you have been infected by .lock Brazilian ransomware, we advise you to not pay the ransom amount In any circumstances, because this way you assist the malware developers by funding the development of the virus and you may also not get your files back. This is why we strongly recommend you to follow the instructions below to remove the Brazilian Ransomware from your computer.
Regarding file decryption, researchers like Demonslay335 strongly recommend to infected users to try the free tools to BruteForce and decrypt files encrypted by the ransomware:
If those solutions do not work for you, you may also want to review the alternative methods for file reverting, posted in step “3. Restore files Encrypted by .Lock Ransomware”.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Able 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 Able. 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 Able follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Able 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 Able on your PC
Find files created by Able
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 Able with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Able and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Able. 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 Able
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Able
Ransomware infections and Able 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.
Ransomware infection, named Able, written for Brazilian users has been reported to be on the rise. The ransomwar displays a terrifying picture after which notifies users in its ransom note that their files are encrypted. The Brazillian ransomware also adds a “.lock” extension to the files which have been encoded. Researchers have reported that a very strong algorithm has been used(AES-256) which prevents users from accessing their files. Infected users are advised NOT to pay any ransom money demanded by the criminals and wait for alternative solutions. We will post and update here as soon as they are released, so we advise following this article. In the meantime, you may want to remove the ransomware and try restoring your files using the methods which have been provided after this article.
ou http://is.gd/comunicado2
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 Able and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
