This article has been created to help you by showing how to remove the .scorpio ransomware (new Scarab variant) and restore files encrypted by it.
A new version of Scarab ransomware virus has been reported to encrypt the files on the infected computers, adding the .scorpio file extension and the e-mail Help-Mails@Ya.Ru as a contact address. More to it, the virus still uses the same ransom note, named “IF_YOU_WANT_TO_GET_ALL_YOUR_FILES_BACK_PLEASE_READ_THIS.TXT”.
In it, the virus demands to e-mail a personal identification code to the cyber-criminals’ e-mail and then pay in BitCoins for the decryption of the files. If you have become a victim of the .Scorpio ransomware virus, we recommend that you focus on reading this article thoroughly.
Threat Summary
| Name | Scorpio |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | Encrypts the files on the compromised computer asking it’s owner to pay in BitCoin in order to get them back. |
| Symptoms | The files encrypted with the .scorpio file extension added after them. The ransom note remains the same as with the .scarab file virus. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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Malware Removal Tool
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Scorpio. |
| 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. |
How Does Scorpio Ransomware Infect
The infection process of Scorpio ransomware is constructed in a way that may involve multiple tools and methods to infect your computer while remaining unnoticed. These tools are usually different software and kits, such as:
- Exploit kits.
- Web injectors.
- Fake updates.
- Malicious e-mail templates.
- Fake Windows updates.
- Infected setups of software.
- Macros with malicious code.
These tools may result in spreading the Scarab ransomware virus via the following types of methods:
- Fraudulent system setups which are uploaded on different types of websites instead of a program you are looking to download from them for free.
- Fraudulent software activators, game cracks or other license activation software uploaded as torrent or on crack sites.
- Web link objects that may be spammed as comments on sites.
.Scorpio File Ransomware Analysis
The Scorpio infection is not here to mess around. Once the virus is activated it immediately gets down to business and begins the malicious activity on the compromised device. The .scorpio file virus may transfer data from the computer that has been infected directly to the third-party hosts it may connect to. This is done via pre-configured functions in it’s malicious executable file, which may have a totally random name and is located in one of the %SystemDrive% folders.
Besides the malicious files, other system files on the compromised computer may also be attacked, resulting in the medication of Windows settings and further malicious activities. Among those may be the complete deletion by the .scorpio virus of the Shadow Volume Copies on the infected computer, via an administrative command inserted in Windows Command Prompt, called vssadmin:
The command is usually inserted in administrative mode which makes it possible for the virus to execute it in quiet mode without you noticing anything.
In addition to this, the .scorpio malware also makes sure the victim sees It’s ransom note, which has the following contents:
*** IF YOU WANT TO GET ALL YOUR FILES BACK, PLEASE READ THIS ***
Your files are now encrypted!
—–BEGIN PERSONAL IDENTIFIER—–
**************************************
—–END PERSONAL IDENTIFIER—–
All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC.
Now you should send us email with your personal identifier.
This email will be as confirmation you are ready to pay for decryption key.
You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us.
After payment we will send you the decryption tool that will decrypt all your files.
Contact us using this email address: qa458@yandex.ru
Free decryption as guarantee!
Before paying you can send us up to 3 files for free decryption.
The total size of files must be less than 5Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information (databases, backups, large excel sheets, etc.).
How to obtain Bitcoins?
* The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click
‘Buy bitcoins’, and select the seller by payment method and price:
https://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins
* Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here:
https://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins
Attention!
* Do not rename encrypted files.
* Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
* Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.
The Encryption Process of Scorpio Ransomware
For the encryption procedure, .scorpio file virus uses the Advanced Encryption Algorithm, also known as AES cipher. Then it uses base64 for the renaming of the files, adding the .scarab file extension along with the e-mail Help-Mails@Ya.Ru in the process. The files are completely unrecognizable after encryption and they look like the following:
The files which are encrypted are not every file on your PC. The Scorpio ransomware rather focuses on specific files that are used very often, like the following file extensions:
→ “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
The Scorpio virus is very careful not to delete system Windows files so that your OS is functioning properly. This is why the virus skips system folders for the encryption process.
Remove Scorpio Ransomware and Get Your Data Back
If you want to remove Scorpio ransomware virus from your computer, we strongly suggest that you focus on backing up the encrypted files beforehand. This will ensure that the files you have backed up are available in the future for when a decrypter comes out.
Then, you can follow the removal instructions below. They are divided in manual and automatic. Since .scorpio file virus may interfere with multiple system file types, we recommend that you remove the virus automatically. Malware research experts outline a ransomware-specific anti-malware software as the best and fastest solution to ransomware viruses, like the Scorpio infection.
If you want to restore your files, do not despair. Even though there is no free decryptor at the moment, we are monitoring the situation, so make sure the check this article often. In the meantime there is an alternative – we have gathered some methods below in step “2. Restore files encrypted by Scorpio” below. They may not be 100 percent effective, but may surely result in the recovery of at least some of your data.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
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Step 1: Scan for Scorpio with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Ransomware Automatic Removal - Video Guide
Step 2: Uninstall Scorpio and related malware 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 delete most unwanted and malicious programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Scorpio 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 Scorpio 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: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Scorpio
Step 5: Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Scorpio.
Method 1: Use STOP Decrypter by Emsisoft.
Not all variants of this ransomware can be decrypted for free, but we have added the decryptor used by researchers that is often updated with the variants which become eventually decrypted. You can try and decrypt your files using the instructions below, but if they do not work, then unfortunately your variant of the ransomware virus is not decryptable.
Follow the instructions below to use the Emsisoft decrypter and decrypt your files for free. You can download the Emsisoft decryption tool linked here and then follow the steps provided below:
1 Right-click on the decrypter and click on Run as Administrator as shown below:
2. Agree with the license terms:
3. Click on "Add Folder" and then add the folders where you want files decrypted as shown underneath:
4. Click on "Decrypt" and wait for your files to be decoded.
Note: Credit for the decryptor goes to Emsisoft researchers who have made the breakthrough with this virus.
Method 2: Use data recovery software
Ransomware infections and Scorpio 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 the top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
Scorpio-FAQ
What is Scorpio Ransomware?
Scorpio 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 algorithms 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.
What Does Scorpio Ransomware Do?
Ransomware in general is a malicious software that is designed to block access to your computer or files until a ransom is paid.
Ransomware viruses can also damage your system, corrupt data and delete files, resulting in the permanent loss of important files.
How Does Scorpio Infect?
Via several ways.Scorpio Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing emails, 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.
Another way you may become a victim of Scorpio 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 .Scorpio files?
You can't without a decryptor. At this point, the .Scorpio files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted using a specific decryption key for the particular algorithm.
What to Do If a Decryptor Does Not Work?
Do not panic, and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your .Scorpio files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
Can I Restore ".Scorpio" Files?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .Scorpio files.
These methods are in no way 100% guaranteed that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How To Get Rid of Scorpio Virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti-malware program.
It will scan for and locate Scorpio ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .Scorpio files.
Can I Report Ransomware to Authorities?
In case your computer got infected with a ransomware infection, you can report it to the local Police departments. It can help authorities worldwide track and determine the perpetrators behind the virus that has infected your computer.
Below, we have prepared a list with government websites, where you can file a report in case you are a victim of a cybercrime:
Cyber-security authorities, responsible for handling ransomware attack reports in different regions all over the world:
Germany - Offizielles Portal der deutschen Polizei
United States - IC3 Internet Crime Complaint Centre
United Kingdom - Action Fraud Police
France - Ministère de l'Intérieur
Italy - Polizia Di Stato
Spain - Policía Nacional
Netherlands - Politie
Poland - Policja
Portugal - Polícia Judiciária
Greece - Cyber Crime Unit (Hellenic Police)
India - Mumbai Police - CyberCrime Investigation Cell
Australia - Australian High Tech Crime Center
Reports may be responded to in different timeframes, depending on your local authorities.
Can You Stop Ransomware from Encrypting Your Files?
Yes, you can prevent ransomware. The best way to do this is to ensure your computer system is updated with the latest security patches, use a reputable anti-malware program and firewall, backup your important files frequently, and avoid clicking on malicious links or downloading unknown files.
Can Scorpio Ransomware Steal Your Data?
Yes, in most cases ransomware will steal your information. It is a form of malware that steals data from a user's computer, encrypts it, and then demands a ransom in order to decrypt it.
In many cases, the malware authors or attackers will threaten to delete the data or publish it online unless the ransom is paid.
Can Ransomware Infect WiFi?
Yes, ransomware can infect WiFi networks, as malicious actors can use it to gain control of the network, steal confidential data, and lock out users. If a ransomware attack is successful, it could lead to a loss of service and/or data, and in some cases, financial losses.
Should I Pay Ransomware?
No, you should not pay ransomware extortionists. Paying them only encourages criminals and does not guarantee that the files or data will be restored. The better approach is to have a secure backup of important data and be vigilant about security in the first place.
What Happens If I Don't Pay Ransom?
If you don't pay the ransom, the hackers may still have access to your computer, data, or files and may continue to threaten to expose or delete them, or even use them to commit cybercrimes. In some cases, they may even continue to demand additional ransom payments.
Can a Ransomware Attack Be Detected?
Yes, ransomware can be detected. Anti-malware software and other advanced security tools can detect ransomware and alert the user when it is present on a machine.
It is important to stay up-to-date on the latest security measures and to keep security software updated to ensure ransomware can be detected and prevented.
Do Ransomware Criminals Get Caught?
Yes, ransomware criminals do get caught. Law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, Interpol and others have been successful in tracking down and prosecuting ransomware criminals in the US and other countries. As ransomware threats continue to increase, so does the enforcement activity.
About the Scorpio Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Scorpio how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific malware and restore your encrypted files.
How did we conduct the research on this ransomware?
Our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, and as such, we receive daily updates on the latest malware and ransomware definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the Scorpio ransomware threat is backed with VirusTotal and the NoMoreRansom project.
To better understand the ransomware threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.
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.