The .aes files belong to a ransomware virus, calling itself The Cursed Murderer. This ransomware’s primary objective is to infect your computer and then encrypt all of your important files after which add the .aes file extension to them. This is a removal guide for The Cursed Murderer ransomware.
The Cursed Murderer is just a name that aims to scare you out, because this is the type of virus that aims to get victims to know of its presence on your computer. The main objective of this ransomware virus is to create different types of virus files on your computer that work together to render all your important documents, images, videos and other types of files encrypted. Encrypted means that you cannot open the files and the virus ads the .aes file extension to them. The only way that seems to work is to pay a high ammount of ransom money in the form of BitCoin to the cyber-criminals who are behind this ransomware virus.
The Cursed Murderer .aes Virus
The Cursed Murderer has many ways via which it can infiltrate your computer without you even noticing it. The virus spammers have mastered the infection methods of this ransomware to fool even experience users so its safe to say it could happen to the best. Once on your computer, the virus begins obtaining administrator rights and other types of permissions and the end goal is to scan for all your files. This includes documents, images, videos and other types of files, that are encoded with an advanced cipher, calle Advanced Encryption Standard or AES, from where the extension .aes derives. It can generate a unique decryption key that is known only by the people who have infected you with The Cursed Murderer ransomware. Read this article to learn how to remove The Cursed Murderer ransomware from your computer and try to recover files.
Threat Summary
| Name | The Cursed Murderer |
| File Extension | .aes |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| What Is It | A ransomware infection whose primary purpose is to encrypt your files and hold them hostage until you pay ransom to the criminals behind it. |
| Symptoms | May encrypt your files and they become no longer openable. |
| Ransom Demanding Note | instructions.txt |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable Files, Hacked Websites |
| Removal | To effectively remove active The Cursed Murderer virus infections, we recommend that you use an advanced anti-malware tool. Download
Malware Removal Tool
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss The Cursed Murderer. |
| 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. |
The Cursed Murderer .aes Virus – Detailed Information
The Cursed Murderer is a typical ransomware attack that spread in a similar way like other ransomware viruses out there. The Cursed Murderer may infect your computer in the same method that accounts for over 80% of ransomware infections out there – e-mail spam messages.
The Cursed Murderer may also infect your computer by pretending to be a legitimate software downloaded from different third-party websites. These sites may be low-reputation crack download sites, torrent sites and other sites that are classified as risky. Most of them get blocked if you have an anti-malware tool, so criminals often hack legitimate torrent sites to push their fake software that infects with The Cursed Murderer and ransomware, like It.
The Cursed Murderer can be more than devastating once it infects your computer. For instance, it may begin to corrupt vital Windows components after dropping its files in the following directories:
- %Local%
- %AppData%
- %LocalLow%
- %Roaming%
- %Temp%
Once the files are dropped, The Cursed Murderer .aes infection may begin to perform the following activities:
- Create mutexes.
- Obtain permissions as administrator on your Windows machine.
- Scan for and encrypt files.
- Create registry entries in the Run and RunOnce sub-keys of Windows. These will allow for the virus files to run automatically on startup.
The files that are encrypted by The Cursed Murderer ransomware can be of the following file types:
- Documents.
- Pictures.
- Video file types.
- Audio file types.
- Database files.
- Archive files.
After your files have been encrypted, they begin to appear like the following image:
Image by Twitter user GrujaRS
The main encryption algorithm is believed to be AES or Advanced Encryption Standard. It includes assymetric decryption key that is held by the cyber-criminals who ask you to pay ransom to decrypt your files. Be advised, that researchers are constantly coming out with free decryptors and as long as you backup your files, there are other ways to recover your files. Also, paying the ransom is highly not reccomended, primarily because you support the cyber-criminals and besides this, it is not a good idea to trust the same people who extort you to pay them money for files.
Remove The Cursed Murderer Ransomware and Try Restoring Your Files
If you want to get rid of The Cursed Murderer ransomware, we recommend following the removal steps below. For maximum effectiveness it is highly advisable to use an advanced anti-malware tool. Such scanner will effectively find all the hidden files of The Cursed Murderer ransomware on your computer and remove them in a matter of minutes time. This will ensure that you remove this virus without having to reinstall Windows and that your PC will also stay safe in the future.
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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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.
About the The Cursed Murderer Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this The Cursed Murderer 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 The Cursed Murderer 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.
References
1. How to Recognize Spam Emails with Ransomware
2. How Does Ransomware Encryption Work?
3. How to Decrypt Ransomware Files
4. Ransomware Getting Greedier and Bigger, Attacks Increase by 40%
5. 1 in 5 Americans Victim of Ransomware
- Guide 1: How to Remove The Cursed Murderer from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of The Cursed Murderer from Mac OS X.
How to Remove The Cursed Murderer from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove The Cursed Murderer
1. Hold Windows Key + R.
2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.
3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".
4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.
5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.
Step 2: Uninstall The Cursed Murderer 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:
1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.
2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.
3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by The Cursed Murderer 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 The Cursed Murderer there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.
2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.
3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.
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 The Cursed Murderer with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.
2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.
4. 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.
Video Guide for Automatic and Fast Removal
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by The Cursed Murderer.
Ransomware infections and The Cursed Murderer 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.
1. Download the recommended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
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.
Step 6: How to Restore Files Encrypted by Ransomware (Video Guide)
Get rid of The Cursed Murderer from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall The Cursed Murderer 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:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to The Cursed Murderer:
4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to The Cursed Murderer. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash
”.
6. Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference.
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to The Cursed Murderer. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7. Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
- 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 The Cursed Murderer 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:
1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:
2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:
3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as The Cursed Murderer. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
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 The Cursed Murderer.
Ransomware infections and The Cursed Murderer 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.
1. Download the recommended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
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.
The Cursed Murderer FAQ
What is The Cursed Murderer ransomware and how does it work?
The Cursed Murderer 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 The Cursed Murderer ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways.The Cursed Murderer 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 The Cursed Murderer 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 .The Cursed Murderer files?
You can't. At this point the .The Cursed Murderer 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 .The Cursed Murderer files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by The Cursed Murderer 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 ".The Cursed Murderer" files (Other Methods)?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .The Cursed Murderer 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 The Cursed Murderer 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 The Cursed Murderer ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .The Cursed Murderer files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like The Cursed Murderer 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.
How to 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.
