If your files have been compromised and you have received a threatening message, similar to the one below in the form of a wallpaper, page on your web browser or a .txt file, there is a good chance you have the ransomware virus-encoder on your computer. The virus-encoder ransomware is associated with several different email addresses and it infects the user files by encrypting them and making them unable to be opened. This is done with the purpose of extorting users to pay ransom payments to the cyber-criminals for the unlocking of their data. Security researchers strongly advise to remove this malicious code from your computer with an advanced anti-malware sofrtware and to back up your data to further protect it from this and other atacks.
| Name | Virus-Encoder Ransomware |
| Type | Ransomware infection |
| Short Description | The virus penetrates system defenses and encrypts user files making them impossible to open. |
| Symptoms | Changed wallpaper, text document or other way to notify the user for ransom instructions. Encrypted files with .FFF extension. |
| Distribution Method | Spam mail or malicious links. Possible via infected software, social media and file sharing networks as well. |
| Detection Tool | Download Malware Removal Tool, to See If Your System Has Been Affected by Virus-Encoder Ransomware |
| User Experience | Join our forum to follow the discussion about Virus-Encoder 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. |
| 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. |
Virus-Encoder Ransomware – How Did My Files get Encrypted
There are many variants of this nasty ransomware trojan, such as [email protected] ransomware and one way each of them to slip onto the user PC is by clicking once on an infected email attachment. Attachment such as microsoft office files associated with malicious macros or files with the following formats are mostly malware-containing.
→dll; .exe; ;.tmp .bat; .cmd; .html;
The .exe and .bat files may be one of several different attachments, but since some users often have programs such as Mozilla Thunderbird and Microsoft Outlook that block out spam mails, there may be hotlinks or html files that may redirect the user to a drive-by download website.
More to it, this vile threat may be on malicious sites to which users may have been misled by clicking on online ads or being redirected because of an unwanted ad-supported program on their computer. Such programs are outlined as low-level threats and they are not being detected as viruses, however they are indirectly dangerous for the user PC.
More About Virus-Encoder Ransomware
Once is has been executed in the victim`s PC, the ransomware trojan may begin to replicated various different files in it. Some of those files may be the malicious .dll and .exe files that perform devious tasks in the user PC as well as the files with the ransom message.
Once it has created the executables, the virus then may create registry entries in HKEY_LOCAL_USER that may allow it to run on system start-up. After it has finished with the preparation phase, the ransomware then begins to perform scans in the Windows file system for different file types, main of which may be:
→cfg; .img; .pdf; .doc; docx; .mp3; .mp4; .xml; .3gp;
These and other files may be encrypted with one of the following extensions:
→[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
After scanning for and encrypting files, the ransomware may then proceed to the final stage – covering its tracks and setting the ransom message. The ransom message may be set as a wallpaper and most users who had the ransomware complain that it had instructions to contact one of the above-mentioned emails/extensions for details on how to pay.
Security experts believe that the masterminds behind the Virus-Encoder ransomware use Tor networking to mask their trails from the user and the law.
In case you have bumped into such ransomware it is highly advisable to swiftly disconnect from the internet and to never comply with the attackers`s demands, because of several different reasons:
1)There is no guarantee that they will restore your files.
2)There is a method for file decryption that is proven to work, mentioned below.
3)Paying to the cyber-crooks only funds them to enhance their research and improve the malware.
Removing Virus-Encoder Ransomware Completely and Restoring Your Files
If you want to fix the damage done by this nasty ransom trojan you need to remove it from your computer, first. In order to do this, you should use the step-by-step instructions after this paragraph to help you with getting rid of this ransomware and using the file-decryption instructions for your data afterwards.
The most highly recommended method for decryption is to use a safe PC and to copy and try to decrypt your files in it. After it is done it is recommended to simply reinstall Windows with all the software and install a powerful anti-malware tool that will protect you from malware like this attack before it even happens. Of course you can also try this tutorial using anti-malware to automatically remove it without having to reinstall your OS:
Removing Virus-Encoder Ransomware
1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.
2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove Virus-Encoder Ransomware.
1. For Windows 7 and earlier
Restoring Files Encrypted by Virus-Encoder Ransomware
To restore files encrypted by the Virus-Encoder ransomware successfully, you should use the aftermentioned instructions:
Instructions to decrypt and restore files encrypted by Virus-Encoder.
