COVID 19 – General Info
The COVID 19 mean a ransomware-type infection. The virus comes from the Filecoder ransomware family. COVID 19 was elaborated specifically to encrypt all major file types. Once the file is encrypted people are unable to use them. COVID 19 adds the “.covid-19” extension for each file encrypted by it. For example, the file “myphoto.jpg“, as soon as encrypted by COVID 19, will be renamed into “myphoto.jpg.covid-19“. As soon as the encryption is finished, COVID 19 places a special text file into every folder containing the encrypted data.The message given by COVID 19 text file requesting for the ransom is absolutely the like the statements given by other ransomware virus representatives coming from the Filecoder family. It literally points out that the info is encrypted and that 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 COVID 19 is still not properly examined. Still, it is definitely specific that each victim may be given the specific decryption key, which is completely unique. It is impossible to bring back the files without the key available.
Another trick of COVID 19 is that the victims cannot access to the key. The key is saved on a particular server run by the frauds associated with COVID 19 ransomware. To get the key and recover the important info people need to pay the ransom.
COVID 19 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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Nonetheless, regardless of the requested amount, people need to keep away from paying the virus. Cyber frauds are unfair, so they tend to entirely ignore what their victims feel about the problem, 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 strongly 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 COVID 19 ransomware and to recover the information data free of charge. Therefore, the only best decision is to recover the lost data from the available backup.
Virus Summary
| Name | COVID 19 Ransomware |
| File Extension | .covid-19 |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Family | Filecoder |
| 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 covid-19 extension to all the files modified by it. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Removal Tool | GridinSoft Anti-Malware |
Bear in mind that the web is now overwhelmed with threats that look similar to COVID 19 ransomware. Destructive programs of such kind are normally elaborated to encrypt essential information and to set forth the need prior to the user to pay the ransom. The peculiarity of all such ransomware threats is that all apply a comparable algorithm to generate the special 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 merely not feasible. The only way to prevent the loss of your crucial data is to routinely create backups of your important information.
Keep in mind that even if you create such backups, they must be put into a special storage utility not connect to your main computer. You may use the USB Memory Stick or external hard 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 along with other files, so it’s certainly not a good storage place.
How did ransomware infect my PC?
There are a number of methods used by online scams to distribute COVID 19 virus. Even though it doubts how exactly COVID 19 injects your system, there are some leaks through which it may penetrate the system:
- integration with third-party software application, especially freeware;
- spam emails from unknown senders;
- sites rendering free hosting services;
- pirated peer-to-peer (P2P) downloads.
Frequently COVID 19 ransomware may exist as some legitimate software application, for instance, in the pop-ups instructing users to carry out some crucial software updates. This is the common trick used by online frauds to persuade people into downloading and installing COVID 19 infection manually, by ways of their direct participation in the installation process.
In addition, the criminals may refer to different e-mail spam techniques to inject destructive codes into copmuter. So, they may refer to to sending unsolicited spam emails with tricky notices promoting users to download the attachments or click on certain download links, for example, the ones encouraging users to open some photos, documents, tax reports or invoices.
Needless to mention, opening such files or clicking on such dangerous links may severely harm the system. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player update notifies may result in COVID 19 ransom injection. When it comes to the cracked software, these illegally downloaded programs may likewise contain destructive codes resulting in COVID 19 secret installation. Lastly, injection of COVID 19 may occur by ways of Trojans that covertly get injected into the system and install destructive tools without the user’s permission.
Is there any way to avoid the injection of COVID 19 ransom virus?
Despite the fact that there is no 100% guarantee to prevent your PC from getting infected, there are some pieces of recommendations we want to show with you. First off, be extremely cautious when you browse the web and especially while downloading complimentary 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 contain other unwanted utilities in the package, so they may be malicious. Make sure that your current antivirus and your entire OS is always duly updated.
Obviously, downloading pirated software is illegal and may result in important damage to be made for your system. Thus, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are likewise strongly encouraged to reconsider your existing security software and perhaps switch to another security solution that can render much better services of protecting your computer.
Below please find the quotation from the COVID 19 text file:
OPS YOUI HAVE BEEN VICTIM OF COVID 19 RANSOMWARE All of your files have been encrypted Your computer is infected with a ransomware virus. Your files have been encrypted and you won\'t be able to decrypt them without our help.What can I do to get my files back? You Must Need to buy Decrypter Our Decrypter will allow you to recover all of your data and remove the ransomware from your computer. How do I pay, where do I Contact You our email: odszyfruj@protonmail.com just email us and we send you bitcoin adress for Payement . after payment we send you decrypter .
Screenshot of files with “.covid-19” extension added by the ransomware:
Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove COVID 19 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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