Calum – Ransomware
The Calum mean a ransomware-type infection. The infection comes from the Phobos ransomware family. Calum was elaborated particularly to encrypt all major file types. When the file is encrypted people are unable to use them. Calum adds the “.Calum” extension for each file encrypted by it. For example, the file “myphoto.jpg“, when encrypted by Calum, will be renamed into “myphoto.jpg.Calum“. As quickly as the encryption is completed, Calum places a special text file into every folder containing the encrypted data.The message given by Calum text file requesting the ransom is definitely the like the statements given by other ransomware representatives coming from the Phobos clan. It actually discusses that the information is encrypted and that the only way to restore it is to use a a special decryption key. Regretfully, this is definitely true. The sort of cryptography mechanism used by Calum is still not properly examined. Still, it is absolutely particular that each victim may be given the specific decryption key, which is absolutely distinct. It is impossible to bring back the files without the key available.
Another trick of Calum is that the victims cannot get to the key. The key is saved on a particular server run by the frauds related to Calum ransomware. To get the key and recover the important info people need to pay the ransom.
Calum encrypted your documents, but that might not be the only damage done to you. The ransomware might still be hidingon your computer. To identify whether this holds true, we suggest downloading GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
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Nevertheless, regardless of the requested amount, people must stay away from paying the virus. Cyber frauds are unfair, so they tend to completely disregard what their victims feel about the problem, even when the payment reaches their pockets. This is why paying the ransom normally does not provide any positive result and people just lose their money for nothing.
We highly advise that you do not contact these crooks and certainly do not transfer money into their accounts. It is said to admit that there are no utilities able to crack Calum ransomware and to recover the data data free of charge. Therefore, the only best decision is to recover the lost data from the available backup.
Virus Summary
| Name | Calum Ransomware |
| File Extension | .Calum |
| 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 Calum extension to all the files modified by it. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Similar Infections | Deuce, Angus, Age |
| Removal Tool | GridinSoft Anti-Malware |
Remember that the world wide web is now overwhelmed with threats that look comparable to Calum ransomware. It is similar Deuce and many other ransomware-type threats. Destructive programs of such kind are typically elaborated to encrypt essential data and to set forth the need before the user to pay the ransom. The peculiarity of all such ransomware threats is that all apply a comparable algorithm to create the distinct decryption key for information decryption.
Therefore, as long as the ransomware is still being developed or has some hidden bugs, manually recovering the information is simply not feasible. The only way to prevent the loss of your crucial information is to regularly create backups of your important information.
Bear in mind that even if you create such backups, they need to be put into a special storage utility not connect to your main PC. You may use the USB Flash Drive or external disk 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 absolutely not a good storage place.
How did ransomware infect my computer?
There are several methods used by online scams to distribute Calum virus. Although it doubts how precisely Calum injects your computer, there are some leaks through which it may penetrate the system:
- integration with third-party apps, especially freeware;
- spam e-mails from unknown senders;
- websites rendering free hosting services;
- pirated peer-to-peer (P2P) downloads.
Frequently Calum virus may exist as some legitimate software, for instance, in the pop-ups instructing users to carry out some important software application updates. This is the common trick used by online frauds to persuade people into downloading and installing Calum infection manually, by methods of their direct participation in the installation process.
In addition, the criminals might refer to numerous email spam techniques to inject harmful codes into copmuter. So, they may describe to sending unsolicited spam emails with tricky notifications promoting users to download the attachments or click on certain download links, for example, the ones motivating users to open some receipts, files, tax reports or invoices.
Needless to mention, opening such documents or clicking on such dangerous links may severely harm the PC. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player upgrade notifies may result in Calum ransom injection. When it comes to the cracked software, these illegally downloaded programs may also consist of destructive codes resulting in Calum secret installation. Finally, injection of Calum may happen by ways of Trojans that secretly get injected into the system and install destructive tools without the user’s permission.
Is there any method to avoid the injection of Calum ransom virus?
Even though there is no 100% guarantee to prevent your system from getting infected, there are some pieces of suggestions we wish to share with with you. First of all, be really cautious when you browse the web and especially while downloading complimentary programs. Stay away from opening suspicious email attachments, especially when the sender of the email is not familiar to you.
Bear in mind that some freeware installers may include other unwanted utilities in the bundle, so they may be malicious. 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 important damage to be produced your system. Hence, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also strongly recommended to reconsider your existing security software and possibly switch to another security solution that can render much better services of protecting your Windows.
Below please find the quotation from the Calum 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 prndssdnrp@mail.fr Write this ID in the title of your message - 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. hxxps://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here: hxxp://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 “.Calum” extension added by the ransomware:
Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove Calum ransomware from your computer
1.Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
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.
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