RansomwareRemoval Guide

Remove Consciousness Virus (.Consciousness Files Ransomware)

Consciousness – General Info

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

The message given by Consciousness text file asking for the ransom is definitely the like the statements given by other ransomware representatives. It actually discusses that the info is encrypted and that the only way to bring back it is to use a a distinct decryption key. Unfortunately, this is absolutely true. The type of cryptography mechanism applied by Consciousness is still not properly examined. Still, it is definitely particular that each victim may be given the specific decryption key, which is absolutely unique. It is impossible to bring back the files without the key available.

Another technique of Consciousness is that the victims cannot access to the key. The key is stored on a specific server run by the frauds associated with Consciousness ransomware. To get the key and recover the important info people have to pay the ransom.

However, regardless of the asked for quantity, people must stay away from paying the virus. Cyber frauds are not fair, so they tend to totally disregard what their victims feel about the issue, even when the payment reaches their pockets. This is why paying the ransom generally does not give any positive result and people simply waste their money for absolutely nothing.

We highly encourage 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 Consciousness ransomware and to recover the data data totally free. Hence, the only right decision is to recover the lost information from the available backup.

Virus Summary

NameConsciousness Ransomware
File Extension.Consciousness
TypeRansomware
Short DescriptionThe 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.
SymptomsFile 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 Consciousness extension to all the files modified by it.
Distribution MethodSpam Emails, Email Attachments
Removal Tool   GridinSoft Anti-Malware

Bear in mind that the world wide web is now overwhelmed with threats that look comparable to Consciousness ransomware. Destructive programs of such kind are typically elaborated to encrypt crucial 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 comparable algorithm to produce the special decryption key for information decryption.

Thus, as long as the ransomware is still being developed or has some hidden bugs, by hand recovering the information is just not feasible. The only method to avoid the loss of your important information is to routinely create backups of your important information.

Keep in mind that even if you create such backups, they should be put into a special storage utility not connect to your main PC. You may use the USB Flash Drive or external hard disk 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 along with other files, so it’s definitely not a good storage place.

How did ransomware infect my PC?

There are several ways used by online frauds to distribute Consciousness virus. Despite the fact that it doubts how exactly Consciousness injects your PC, there are some leaks through which it may infiltrate the system:

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

Frequently Consciousness virus may be presented as some legitimate software application, for example, in the pop-ups instructing users to carry out some essential software application updates. This is the common technique used by online frauds to persuade people into downloading and installing Consciousness infection manually, by ways of their direct participation in the installation process.

Additionally, the criminals may refer to numerous e-mail spam tactics to inject malicious codes into systems. So, they may refer to 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 motivating users to open some photos, files, tax reports or invoices.

Needless to mention, opening such files or clicking on such dangerous links may badly damage the system. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player upgrade informs may result in Consciousness ransom injection. When it comes to the cracked software, these illegally downloaded programs may also consist of malicious codes causing Consciousness secret installation. Lastly, injection of Consciousness may take place by means of Trojans that privately get injected into the system and install harmful tools without the user’s consent.

Is there any way to avoid the injection of Consciousness ransom virus?

Even though there is no 100% guarantee to avoid your system from getting infected, there are some pieces of advice we wish to show with you. To start with, be very careful when you browse the web and specifically while downloading totally free apps. Stay 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 anti-virus and your entire OS is always duly updated.

Naturally, downloading pirated software is prohibited and may result in necessary damage to be produced your system. Thus, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also strongly encouraged to reconsider your existing security software and potentially change to another security solution that can render better services of defending your Windows.

Screenshot of files with “.Consciousness” extension added by the ransomware:
Consciousness Ransomware - encrypt files with .Consciousness extension

Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove Consciousness 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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware
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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Setup

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

GridinSoft Anti-Malware Install

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

GridinSoft Anti-Malware  Start

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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Scan

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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Scan Result

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Daniel Zimmermann

Daniel Zimmermann has been writing on security and malware subjects for many years and has been working in the security industry for over 10 years. Daniel was educated at the Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany and currently lives in New York.

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