RansomwareRemoval Guide

Remove DeathShadow Virus (.Death_Of_Shadow Files Ransomware) – Malakot Ransomware

DeathShadow – General Info

The DeathShadow stands for a ransomware-type infection. The virus comes from the Malakot ransomware family. DeathShadow was elaborated particularly to encrypt all major file types. As soon as the file is encrypted people are unable to use them. DeathShadow adds the “.Death_Of_Shadow” extension for each file encrypted by it. For example, the file “myphoto.jpg“, once encrypted by DeathShadow, will be renamed into “myphoto.jpg.Death_Of_Shadow“. As soon as the encryption is finished, DeathShadow places a special text file into every folder containing the encrypted data.

The message given by DeathShadow text file requesting for the ransom is absolutely the same as the statements given by other ransomware virus representatives belonging to the Malakot family. 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 absolutely true. The kind of cryptography mechanism applied by DeathShadow is still not correctly examined. Still, it is absolutely particular that each victim might 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 DeathShadow is that the victims cannot gain access to the key. The key is stored on a specific server run by the frauds related to DeathShadow ransomware. To get the key and recover the important information people have to pay the ransom.

Nevertheless, irrespective of the requested amount, people must keep away from paying the ransom virus. Cyber frauds are not fair, so they tend to totally 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 outcome and people simply waste their money for absolutely nothing.

We highly encourage that you do not contact these crooks and absolutely do not transfer money into their accounts. It is said to admit that there are no utilities able to crack DeathShadow ransomware and to recover the data data free of charge. Thus, the just best decision is to recover the lost information from the available backup.

Virus Summary

NameDeathShadow Ransomware
File Extension.Death_Of_Shadow
TypeRansomware
FamilyMalakot
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 Death_Of_Shadow extension to all the files modified by it.
Distribution MethodSpam Emails, Email Attachments
Removal Tool   GridinSoft Anti-Malware

Remember that the world wide web is now overwhelmed with threats that look comparable to DeathShadow ransomware. Malicious programs of such kind are normally elaborated to encrypt important information and to state 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 create the unique decryption key for files decryption.

Thus, 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 avoid the loss of your crucial files is to regularly create backups of your important information.

Keep in mind that even if you create such backups, they should be placed into a special storage utility not connect to your main computer. You may use the USB Memory Stick or external disk drive for this purpose, or refer to the help of the cloud storage. If you save your backup files on your common system they may be encrypted together with other files, so it’s certainly not a good storage location.

How did ransomware infect my PC?

There are a number of ways used by online frauds to distribute DeathShadow virus. Despite the fact that it is uncertain how exactly DeathShadow injects your system, there are some leaks through which it may infiltrate the system:

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

Typically DeathShadow virus might be presented as some genuine software, for instance, in the pop-ups advising users to implement some essential software application updates. This is the typical technique used by online scams to persuade people into downloading and installing DeathShadow infection manually, by methods of their direct participation in the installation process.

Furthermore, the criminals might refer to 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 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 harm the PC. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player upgrade alerts may result in DeathShadow virus injection. When it comes to the cracked software, these illegally downloaded programs may likewise consist of harmful codes resulting in DeathShadow secret installation. Finally, injection of DeathShadow may take place by means of Trojans that privately get injected into the system and install harmful tools without the user’s permission.

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

Even though there is no 100% guarantee to prevent your PC from getting infected, there are some pieces of advice we want to share with with you. To start with, be very careful when you surf the web and specifically while downloading totally free programs. 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 contain other unwanted utilities in the bundle, so they may be malicious. Make sure that your current antivirus software and your entire operating system is always duly updated.

Of course, downloading pirated software is unlawful and may result in vital damage to be produced your PC. Hence, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are likewise highly advised to reconsider your existing security software and possibly switch to another security solution that can render much better services of defending your computer.

Below please find the quotation from the DeathShadow text file:

All Your File Have Been Encrypted!
For Decrypt Your Files Send Msg In Malakot@protonmail.com
Do not close the program or restart the computer,Otherwise the files will not be decrypted!
Do not try to decrypt the files in any way as it will damage the file and make it unopenable!
Do not rename files in any way and do not edit them
If an email is sent within the next 24 hours, the amount received will be doubled
If you do not receive an email within the next 48 hours, your files will not be returned
You can send a file for decrypting that should not contain important formats such as databases or documents and the file size should eventually be 10 MB
Death Of Shadow Encryptor By Malakot!

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

Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove DeathShadow 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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