Remove Caley Virus (+Decrypt .[admincrypt@protonmail.com].Caley files) – Phobos Ransomware

Caley Virus – Details

The Caley mean a ransomware-type infection. The infection comes from the Phobos ransomware family. Caley was elaborated particularly to encrypt all major file types. As soon as the file is encrypted people are not able to use them. Caley adds the “.[admincrypt@protonmail.com].Caley” extension for each file encrypted by it. For example, the file “myphoto.jpg“, when encrypted by Caley, will be renamed into “myphoto.jpg.[admincrypt@protonmail.com].Caley“. As quickly as the encryption is completed, Caley places a special text file into every folder containing the encrypted data.

The message given by Caley text file asking for the ransom is absolutely the same as the statements given by other ransomware virus representatives coming from the Phobos family. It actually discusses that the info is encrypted which the only way to restore it is to use a a special decryption key. Sadly, this is absolutely true. The type of cryptography mechanism used by Caley is still not properly examined. Still, it is definitely particular that each victim may be given the specific decryption key, which is completely unique. It is impossible to restore the files without the key available.

Another trick of Caley is that the victims cannot gain access to the key. The key is stored on a particular server run by the frauds associated with Caley ransomware. To get the key and recover the important info people need to pay the ransom.

Nonetheless, irrespective of the asked for amount, people must stay away from paying the ransom virus. Cyber frauds are not fair, so they tend to completely disregard what their victims feel about the issue, even when the payment reaches their pockets. This is why paying the ransom typically does not provide any positive outcome and people simply lose their money for nothing.

We highly recommend that you do not contact these crooks and definitely do not transfer money into their accounts. It is said to admit that there are no utilities able to crack Caley ransomware and to recover the data data totally free. Therefore, the just best decision is to recover the lost data from the available backup.

Virus Summary

Name	Caley Ransomware
File Extension	.[admincrypt@protonmail.com].Caley
Type	Ransomware
Family	Phobos
Short Description	The ransomware encrypts all the data stored on your system and requires a ransom to be paid on your part supposedly to recover your important files.
Symptoms	File encryption by the ransomware is performed by means of the AES and RSA encryption algorithms. Once the encryption is completed, the ransomware adds its special [admincrypt@protonmail.com].Caley extension to all the files modified by it.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Similar Infections	Makop, Bablo, Calum
Removal Tool	GridinSoft Anti-Malware

Bear in mind that the web is now overwhelmed with threats that look similar to Caley ransomware. It is similar Makop and many other ransomware-type threats. Malicious programs of such kind are usually elaborated to encrypt important information and to state the demand prior to the user to pay the ransom. The peculiarity of all such ransomware threats is that all apply a similar algorithm to generate the distinct decryption key for information decryption.

Hence, as long as the ransomware is still being developed or has some hidden bugs, manually recovering the information is simply not feasible. The only method to avoid the loss of your essential files is to regularly create backups of your important information.

Remember that even if you create such backups, they should be put into a special storage utility not connect to your main computer. You may use the USB Flash Drive or external hard drive for this purpose, or refer to the help of the cloud storage. If you keep your backup files on your common system they may be encrypted together with other files, so it’s certainly not a good storage place.

How did ransomware infect my system?

There are numerous methods used by online frauds to distribute Caley ransomware. Although it is uncertain how exactly Caley injects your PC, there are some leaks through which it may penetrate the system:

• integration with third-party software, especially freeware;
• spam e-mails from unknown senders;
• websites rendering free hosting services;
• pirated peer-to-peer (P2P) downloads.

Typically Caley ransomware may be presented as some legitimate software, for instance, in the pop-ups advising users to carry out some crucial software application updates. This is the common technique used by online frauds to persuade people into downloading and installing Caley infection manually, by means of their direct participation in the installation process.

In addition, the criminals might describe different e-mail spam methods to inject malicious codes into systems. So, they may describe to sending unsolicited spam e-mails with tricky notices promoting users to download the attachments or click on certain download links, for example, the ones encouraging users to open some video, files, tax reports or invoices.

Needless to mention, opening such files or clicking on such dangerous links may severely damage the PC. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player update alerts may result in Caley ransom injection. When it comes to the cracked applications, these illegally downloaded programs may also contain malicious codes resulting in Caley secret installation. Lastly, injection of Caley may happen by means of Trojans that privately get injected into the system and install malicious utilities without the user’s approval.

Is there any method to prevent the injection of Caley ransom virus?

Although there is no 100% guarantee to avoid your system from getting infected, there are some pieces of advice we wish to share with with you. To start with, be extremely cautious when you browse the web and particularly while downloading free apps. Keep away from opening suspicious email attachments, especially when the sender of the email is not familiar to you.

Remember that some freeware installers may consist of other unwanted utilities in the package, so they may be destructive. Make certain that your current antivirus software and your entire operating system is always appropriately updated.

Obviously, downloading pirated software is illegal and may lead to vital damage to be produced your PC. For this reason, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also highly advised to reconsider your existing security software and possibly change to another security solution that can render better services of defending your Windows.

Below please find the quotation from the Caley text file:

All your files have been encrypted!
All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail admincrypt@protonmail.com
Write this ID in the title of your message
In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to this e-mail:admincrypt@protonmail.com
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 tool that will decrypt all your files.
Free decryption as guarantee
Before paying you can send us up to 5 files for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 4Mb (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.

Screenshot of files with “.[admincrypt@protonmail.com].Caley” extension added by the ransomware:

Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove Caley ransomware from your computer

1.Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:

  GridinSoft Anti-Malware

2. Double-click on the setup file.

When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-ag.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your computer.

An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

3. Press Install button for run GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

3.Once installed, GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically run.

4. Wait for the GridinSoft Anti-Malware scan to complete.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your computer for Win Speedup 2018 and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so we suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.

5. Click on “Clean Now”.

When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.