Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Note! Your computer might be affected by Yolo ransomware and other threats.
Threats such as Yolo 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
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
This article will aid you to remove Yolo Ransomware. Follow the ransomware removal instructions provided at the end of the article.
Yolo Ransomware is one that encrypts your data with and demands money as a ransom to get it restored. The Yolo Ransomware will leave ransomware instructions as text file. Keep on reading the article and see how you could try to potentially recover some of your locked files and data.
Threat Summary
Name
Yolo ransomware
Type
Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description
The ransomware encrypts files on your computer system and demands a ransom to be paid to allegedly recover them.
Symptoms
The ransomware will encrypt your files and leave a ransom note with payment instructions.
Distribution Method
Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by Yolo 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.
Yolo Ransomware – Distribution Techniques
The Yolo ransomware samples have been captured in a low-volume attack campaign which doesn’t give out which is the main method. It is possible that the virus samples are early test releases or interim development versions which means that they can be used as the primary payload.
A popular method is the coordination of email SPAM messages which are used to send out fake notifications from well known companies and services. The files are sent directly as attachments or linked in the body contents. All of the interactive elements that are embedded can potentially be used to cause a virus infection: pop-ups, banners, text links and etc.
The Yolo ransomware can also be spread via malicious sites that use the same strategy — they attempt to confuse the visitors into thinking that they have accessed the real company or product site. Similar sounding domain names are used along with security certificates that may be self-signed or stolen. These are the primary warning signs that a potentially malicious page is being accessed.
The criminal collective behind the infections can also use payload delivery in order to infect the target machines. This relies on the code insertion into different files. Two of the most popular categories include the following:
Infected Documents — The code can be placed in macros in some of the most popular document types: spreadsheets, presentations, databases and text files. If they are opened by the victims a prompt will appear asking them to enable the built-in scripts. If this is done the virus installation will take place.
Setup Files — The virus code can be embedded in installers for a variety of popular applications: creativity suites, system utilities and productivity programs. When they are run the virus code will be implanted on the victim systems.
Larger campaigns can be achieved by implanting the samples in browser plugins — they are referred to as browser hijackers. Commoon places where they can be found include the relevant browser repositories where they are uploaded with elaborate descriptions and with fake user reviews. The goal of the hackers is to manipulate the visitors into thinking that they are going to install something useful that will add a new feature or in some way enhance their browser.
Yolo Ransomware – Detailed Analysis
The Yolo ransomware is based on the Jigsaw malware family which shows that the hacker or criminal collective behind it may not be very experienced. The captured samples are early test releases and the full code analysis is not yet available however we assume that the well-known behavior pattern will be executed here as well. The sources of these viruses are usually traded on the underground hacker forums. The hackers may have taken the Jigsaw code and modified it by themselves or they may have ordered a custom version from the dark web marketplaces.
The collected samples appear to include a stealth installation module which will sleep the virus before it launches its malicious components. This is done in order to evade heuristic scan of anti-malware and anti-virus programs which assume that infections will occur instantly after deployment.
Not surprisingly one of the first modules that are run is the data harvesting one. It is used to scan the system for sensitive information that is used to generate an unique ID for each affected machine. It is calculated by an algorithm that takes many input parameters: installed hardware components, system values and user settings. It can also be programmed to reveal the identity of the victim users: their name, address, phone number, interests and any stored account data and login details. This information can be used to carry out various crimes: identity theft, financial abuse and etc.
The Yolo ransomware sets itself in a memory guarded region which is a popular trick for disabling debug environments and virtual machine hosts. There are other security software that can be bypassed: anti-virus, firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
Once the Yolo ransomware has obtained control of the affected machines it will hook up to existing processes: both system and third-party ones. This will allow it to spy on the users interaction in real-time. This is very dangerous if coupled with a Trojan module — a local client that can establish a connection with a hacker-controlled server. The criminals will have the ability to take over control of the infected computers, steal their files and also deploy other malware.
Yolo Ransomware – Encryption Process
The ransomware engine will be called when the prior components have finished running. It will use a built-in list of target file type extensions which is typical of the Jigsaw ransowmare family. An example one will target the following data:
Archives
Backups
Databases
Music
Videos
Images
The code analysis shows that the following file type extensions are affected in one fo the captured samples:
The .Yolo extension will be applied to all victim files. The associated ransomware note will be a standard one, crafted in a text or HTML file.
Remove Yolo Ransomware and Try to Restore Data
If your computer system got infected with the Yolo ransomware virus, you should have a bit of experience in removing malware. You should get rid of this ransomware as quickly as possible before it can have the chance to spread further and infect other computers. You should remove the ransomware and follow the step-by-step instructions guide provided below.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Yolo 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 Yolo 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 Yolo ransomware follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Yolo 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 Yolo ransomware on your PC
Find files created by Yolo 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 Yolo ransomware with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Yolo ransomware and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Yolo 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 Yolo ransomware
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Yolo ransomware
Ransomware infections and Yolo 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:
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
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 Yolo ransomware and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
