This article explains the issues that occur when .USA files virus infects a target system. It also provides a step-by-step guide on how to remove malicious files and how to potentially recover files encrypted by this ransomware.
A data locker ransomware dubbed after the extension it uses to mark corrupted files .USA files virus has been spotted in the wild. As identified by security researchers it belongs to the infamous Dharma ransomware family. In case of infection with this threat, you all your important files will remain inaccessible until their code is reverted back to original state. Once they are encrypted they will appear with the specific extension .USA at the end of their names. In addition, a ransom message will load on the screen to extort a ransom fee.
Threat Summary
| Name | .USA Files Virus |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | A version of the CrySyS/Dharma ransomware that is designed to encrypt valuable files stored on infected computers and then extort a ransom from victims. |
| Symptoms | Important files are encrypted and renamed with the extension .USA A ransom note appears on PC screen to present ransom payment instructions. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss .USA 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. |
.USA Files Virus (Dharma) – Distribution
Security researchers’ reports indicate that this .USA Dharma ransomware is currently circling around the net in active attack campaigns. Attack campaigns could be set against users worldwide. As of the distribution channels used by hackers they are likely to be some of the most common ones such as malspam, malvertising, freeware installers, corrupted web pages, fake software updates, and other.
The most probable one remains the malspam. It is a technique that enables hackers to deliver their malicious code on users’ devices with the help of specially crafted emails. Such emails usually contain one or more of the following components:
- A link to compromised web page that is set to download and execute infection files directly on the PC. The URL address to this page may be presented in the form of an in-text link, banner, image, button or full URL address.
- A malicious file attachment that is presented as legitimate document by the text message. It could be uploaded in a .rar or .zip archive. Such a file could be set to evade active security measures and trick you into running the ransomware on your PC.
Additional spread techniques that may be currently spreading this sample of Dharma ransomware are fake software installers, fake update notifications, compromised software setups, files shared on forums and other techniques may download and activate the ransomware module.
.USA Files Virus (Dharma) – Overview
The .USA files virus is a nasty ransomware infection that plagues computer systems in order to reach users’ files and encode them with the help of sophisticated cipher algorithm. According to analyses conducted by security researchers, it is a strain of the infamous Dharma ransomware.
In order that the infection process with .USA cryptovirus could begin, the ransomware payload should be started on the system. The moment this happens, the threat becomes able to contaminate various system settings that will eventually help it to reach data encryption stage.
In addition to the payload file that contains a set of different commands, several other malicious files are likely to be established during the attack. The locations of these files may be some of the following system folders:
- %AppData%
- %Local%
- %LocalLow%
- %Roaming%
- %Temp%
Beware that if you choose to remove this ransomware manually, you may not be able to find all malicious files and objects created on your infected system. On one hand, .USA files virus could name some of its files after legitimate system files. On the other hand, after acquiring administrative rights it could hide them somewhere deep on the system. And in case that some of its associated files remain on the system, they will continue endangering the security of your device and data.
By executing its malicious files in a strictly defined order, .USA Dharma ransomware becomes able to manipulate the functionalities of various system components which eventually enables it to evade detection while passing through its different infection stages. One system component that is probably set as a target of this ransomware is the Registry Editor or its Run and RunOnce keys in particular. This could be explained by the fact that these registry keys manage the automatic execution of all files listed under their directories:
→ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
So once .USA files virus has its malicious values there, it starts loading them on every next system power on. Another reason for the contamination of the registry key RunOnce is the automatic display of a ransom note. This usually happens at the end of the attack.
The purpose of this note is to extort a ransom payment for the recovery of encrypted files. At this point, it is only clear that hackers present the email usacode@aol.com for contact. No matter of the amount of the demanded ransom, we advise you to avoid transferring it to hackers as this action does not guarantee the recovery of .USA files. Keep reading to find some alternative methods that are secure and may be useful as well.
.USA Files Virus (Dharma) – Encryption Process
Like some previous versions of Dharma ransomware (
Following encryption, valuable files become inaccessible due to significant changes in their original code. Unfortunately, all of your important files could be affected by the ransomware including all your:
- Documents.
- Audio files.
- Videos.
- Image files.
- Databases.
- Archives.
- Banking files.
Corrupted files could be recognized by the distinctive extension .USA appended to their names. Your access to information stored by .USA files is restricted and that’s why hackers attempt to blackmail you into paying a ransom for decryption tool. However, there is no guarantee that they could provide you with a working solution as the code of their threat could be broken. So what we could recommend you is the help of alternative data recovery methods some of which are available in our removal guide.
Remove .USA Files Virus and Restore Data
This Dharma ransomware strain associated with .USA extension is a threat with highly complex code that plagues not only your files but your whole system. So you should properly clean and secure your infected system before you could use it regularly again. Below you could find a step-by-step removal guide that may be helpful in attempting to remove this ransomware. Choose the manual removal approach if you have previous experience with malware files. If you don’t feel comfortable with the manual steps select the automatic section from the guide. Steps there enable you to check the infected system for ransomware files and remove them with a few mouse clicks.
In order to keep your system safe from ransomware and other types of malware in future, you should consider the installation of a reliable anti-malware program. As an additional security layer that could prevent the occurrence of ransomware attacks you could install an
If you want to understand how to potentially fix encrypted files with the help of alternative data recovery approaches, make sure to read carefully all details mentioned in the step “Restore files”. We remind you that before you begin with the data recovery process, you should back up all encrypted files to an external drive as this will help you to prevent their irreversible loss.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has a bachelor's degree in Marketing. She has been with the STF team for five years, researching malware, reporting on the latest computer infections, and following digital marketing trends.
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Attention! SensorsTechForum strongly recommends that all malware victims should look for assistance only by reputable sources. Many guides out there claim to offer free recovery and decryption for files encrypted by ransomware viruses. Be advised that some of them may only be after your money.
As a site that has been dedicated to providing free removal instructions for ransomware and malware since 2014, SensorsTechForum’s recommendation is to only pay attention to trustworthy sources.
How to recognize trustworthy sources:
- Always check "About Us" web page.
- Profile of the content creator.
- Make sure that real people are behind the site and not fake names and profiles.
- Verify Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter personal profiles.
- Guide 1: How to Remove .USA Files Virus from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of .USA Files Virus from Mac OS X.
How to Remove .USA Files Virus from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .USA Files Virus
Step 2: Uninstall .USA Files Virus and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.Step 3: Clean any registries, created by .USA Files Virus on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by .USA Files Virus there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Before starting "Step 4", 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.
Step 4: Scan for .USA Files Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .USA Files Virus.
Ransomware infections and .USA Files Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Simply click on the link and on the website menus on top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
Get rid of .USA Files Virus from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall .USA Files Virus and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove .USA Files Virus via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .USA Files Virus.
Ransomware infections and .USA Files Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Simply click on the link and on the website menus on top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
.USA Files Virus FAQ
What is .USA Files Virus ransomware and how does it work?
.USA Files Virus is a ransomware infection - the malicious software that enters your computer silently and blocks either access to the computer itself or encrypt your files.
Many ransomware viruses use sophisticated encryption algorithm how to make your files inaccessible. The goal of ransomware infections is to demand that you pay a ransom payment to get access to your files back.
How does .USA Files Virus ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways..USA Files Virus Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing e-mails, containing virus attachment.
This attachment is usually masked as an important document, like an invoice, bank document or even a plane ticket and it looks very convincing to users.
After you download and execute this attachment, a drive-by download occurs and your computer is infected with the ransomware virus.
Another way, you may become a victim of .USA Files Virus is if you download a fake installer, crack or patch from a low reputation website or if you click on a virus link. Many users report getting a ransomware infection by downloading torrents.
How to open ..USA Files Virus files?
You can't. At this point the ..USA Files Virus files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted.
Decryptor did not decrypt my data. What now?
Do not panic and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your ..USA Files Virus files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by .USA Files Virus ransomware is to use a decryptor for it. But since it's a new virus, advised that the decryption keys for it may not be out yet and available to the public. We will update this article and keep you posted as soon as this decryptor is released.
How Do I restore "..USA Files Virus" files (Other Methods)?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore ..USA Files Virus files.
These methods are in no way 100% guarantee that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How do I get rid of .USA Files Virus ransomware virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti malware software. It will scan for and locate .USA Files Virus ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important ..USA Files Virus files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like .USA Files Virus ransomware also install Trojans and keyloggers that can steal your passwords and accounts. Scanning your computer with an anti-malware software will make sure that all of these virus components are removed and your computer is protected in the future.
What to Do If nothing works?
There is still a lot you can do. If none of the above methods seem to work for you, then try these methods:
- Try to find a safe computer from where you can can login on your own line accounts like One Drive, iDrive, Google Drive and so on.
- Try to contact your friends, relatives and other people so that they can check if they have some of your important photos or documents just in case you sent them.
- Also, check if some of the files that were encrypted it can be re-downloaded from the web.
- Another clever way to get back some of your files is to find another old computer, a flash drive or even a CD or a DVD where you may have saved your older documents. You might be surprised what will turn up.
- You can also go to your email account to check if you can send any attachments to other people. Usually what is sent the email is saved on your account and you can re-download it. But most importantly, make sure that this is done from a safe computer and make sure to remove the virus first.
More tips you can find on our forums, where you can also asks any questions about your ransomware problem.
