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 Uefi Ransomware and other threats.
Threats such as Uefi Ransomware 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.
This article has been created to help you remove Uefi ransomware from your computer.
In addition to the newer ransomware variants coming out in August 2017, Uefi Ransomware is also one that must not be underestimated. The virus pretends to encrypt the files on the computers it has compromised, demanding from it’s victims to send the sum of $350 to the BitCoin address of the cyber-criminals who are behind the threat in order to decrypt them. If you have become a victim of the Uefi ransowmare infection, we strongly advise you to read this article thoroughly.
Threat Summary
Name
Uefi Ransomware
Type
Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description
Encrypts the files on the computers that have been infected by it, demanding $350 ransom payoff to get them back.
Symptoms
Changes the wallpaper on the infected computer and adds a decrypt.txt ransom note on the desktop of the victim PC.
Distribution Method
Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by Uefi Ransomware
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 Uefi Ransomware Infect
The infection process of Uefi Ransomware is possibly conducted in several ways, the main of which may be via e-mail spam. The e-mails that infect with Uefi ransowmare may use malicious e-mail attachments or web links that can cause the infection itself. They usually contain multiple different types of e-mail messages that portray the malicious e-mail attachments in them as legitimate ones, such as:
Receipts.
Invoices.
Confirmation letters.
Bank account activity and balance sheets.
After the victim has been tricked into opening the fake e-mail attachments, the virus may immediately connect to a remote host and download the payload of Uefi ransomware.
Other methods by which one could become a victim of this ransomware virus is to download a fake setup, key generator or other type of fake executable file, posing as legitimate online.
Uefi Ransomware – Malicious Activity
Uefi ransomware is not to be mistaken with the first-ever ransomware virus, coming out with that name on March 2017 which actually attacked the UEFI of a compromised PC.
Although using the same name may be a hint that this ransomware may be created by the same people behind the original Uefi Ransomware virus, this malware has nothing to do with it.
After infection with this virus, you may find some of it’s payload files dropped under different names in the occasionally targeted Windows folders:
After dropping it’s files, the Uefi Ransowmare virus may execute them as hidden processes in Windows Task Manager. Since the files contain various functions, which are the key behind the activity of Uefi ransomware, executing them may result in the virus:
Creating mutexes.
Generating new types of permissions that give the virus administrative rights over your computer.
Modify the Windows Registry Editor.
Regarding the Windows Registry Editor, the malware may take advantage of the following Windows Registry sub-keys:
Run.
RunOnce.
After this ransomware virus has finished it’s preparation phase it may begin to make it’s presence known on the compromised computer and change it’s wallpaper to the following image:
In addition to this, a decrypt.txt file is dropped which has the following ransom note:
Your Files Are Encrypted By Uefi Ransomware! In Order To Get Your Files Back Please send 350$ worth of Bitcoin to this address: 1Hp8VBKehCPBvArm6VRUWzPCte3EgdjYiY Refer to decrypt.txt for further instructions.
Uefi Ransomware – Does It Encrypt Files
At the moment, it has been established that Uefi ransomware only pretends to encrypt files, whereas in fact, the virus does not perform encryption on them. Instead, the malware aims to scare off the infected victims into paying hefty ransom fees, as reported by malware researchers on Twitter:
Claims to be UEFI #Ransomware, doesn't encrypt at the moment, creates file radiation.bin, pdb name- Hell's ransomware. lol. pic.twitter.com/RpVNLRo2bN
Before beginning the removal process it is always recommended to focus on backing up your files. Then, you can proceed with following either the manual or automatic removal instructions below. If you lack the experience in manually removing ransomware, like Uefi Ransomware, we strongly recommend you to focus on following the automatic removal instructions below. The removal of the Uefi ransomware virus may be easier than usual as it does not encrypt any files. For maximum effectiveness and faster removal, experts strongly advise to focus on using an advanced anti-malware software which aims to help you remove it’s malicious executable as well as other support type of files completely.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Uefi Ransomware 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 Uefi Ransomware. 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 Uefi Ransomware follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Uefi Ransomware 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 Uefi Ransomware on your PC
Find files created by Uefi Ransomware
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.
IMPORTANT! Before starting the Automatic Removal below, 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.
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 Uefi Ransomware with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Uefi Ransomware and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Uefi Ransomware. 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 Uefi Ransomware
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Uefi Ransomware
Ransomware infections and Uefi Ransomware 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.
This article has been created to help you remove Uefi ransomware from your computer.
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 Uefi Ransomware and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
