RansomwareRemoval Guide

Remove FAHOE Virus (.FAHOE Files Ransomware) – CONTI Ransomware

FAHOE Virus Ransomware

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

The message given by FAHOE text file asking for the ransom is absolutely the like the statements given by other ransomware representatives coming from the CONTI clan. It literally mentions that the information is encrypted which the only way to restore it is to use a an unique decryption key. Unfortunately, this is definitely true. The type of cryptography mechanism used by FAHOE 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 restore the files without the key available.

Another trick of FAHOE is that the victims cannot access to the key. The key is saved on a specific server run by the frauds connected with FAHOE ransomware. To get the key and recover the important information people need to pay the ransom.

Nevertheless, regardless of the asked for amount, people should 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 usually does not give any positive result and people simply waste their money for nothing.

We highly advise 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 FAHOE ransomware and to recover the data data for free. Hence, the just best decision is to recover the lost data from the available backup.

Virus Summary

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

Remember that the internet is now overwhelmed with threats that look similar to FAHOE ransomware. Malicious programs of such kind are normally elaborated to encrypt important data 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 distinct decryption key for data decryption.

Thus, as long as the ransomware is still being developed or has some hidden bugs, manually recovering the information is just not feasible. The only method to prevent the loss of your essential files is to frequently 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 PC. 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 save 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 PC?

There are a number of ways used by online frauds to distribute FAHOE ransom virus. Although it doubts how exactly FAHOE injects your PC, 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.

Often FAHOE ransomware may be presented as some legitimate software, for instance, in the pop-ups advising users to execute some crucial software updates. This is the typical trick used by online frauds to persuade people into downloading and installing FAHOE infection manually, by methods of their direct participation in the installation process.

Additionally, the criminals might refer to numerous email spam techniques to inject malicious codes into PC. So, they may refer to to sending unsolicited spam e-mails with tricky notifications promoting users to download the attachments or click on certain download links, for example, the ones motivating users to open some video, documents, tax reports or invoices.

Needless to mention, opening such documents or clicking on such dangerous links may seriously harm the system. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player upgrade notifies may result in FAHOE ransom injection. When it comes to the cracked applications, these illegally downloaded programs may also consist of malicious codes causing FAHOE secret installation. Finally, injection of FAHOE may occur by means of Trojans that covertly get injected into the system and set up malicious utilities without the user’s approval.

Is there any method to prevent the injection of FAHOE ransomware?

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. First of all, be extremely mindful 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.

Bear in mind that some freeware installers may contain other unwanted utilities in the bundle, so they may be harmful. Make sure that your current anti-virus and your entire OS is always appropriately updated.

Naturally, downloading pirated software is prohibited and may lead to vital damage to be produced your system. Hence, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also highly advised to reconsider your existing security software and possibly switch to another security solution that can render better services of defending your PC.

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

Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove FAHOE 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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