Remove Montana Virus (.Montana Files Ransomware) – LeakTheMall Ransomware

Montana Virus Ransomware

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

The message given by Montana text file asking for the ransom is absolutely the same as the statements given by other ransomware virus representatives belonging to the LeakTheMall clan. It actually mentions that the information is encrypted and that the only way to bring back it is to use a a special decryption key. Regretfully, this is absolutely true. The type of cryptography mechanism applied by Montana is still not properly examined. Still, it is absolutely particular that each victim may be given the specific decryption key, which is totally unique. It is impossible to bring back the files without the key available.

Another technique of Montana is that the victims cannot gain access to the key. The key is kept on a particular server run by the frauds related to Montana ransomware. To get the key and recover the important info people need to pay the ransom.

However, regardless of the requested quantity, people must stay away from paying the ransom 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 normally does not provide any positive result and people simply lose their money for absolutely 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 Montana ransomware and to recover the information data totally free. Thus, the just right decision is to recover the lost information from the available backup.

Virus Summary

Name	Montana Ransomware
File Extension	.Montana
Type	Ransomware
Family	LeakTheMall
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 Montana extension to all the files modified by it.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Removal Tool	GridinSoft Anti-Malware

Keep in mind that the web is now overwhelmed with threats that look similar to Montana ransomware. Harmful programs of such kind are typically elaborated to encrypt crucial data 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 create the unique decryption key for data decryption.

Hence, 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 prevent the loss of your important data is to routinely create backups of your important information.

Keep 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 hard 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 along with other files, so it’s absolutely not a good storage location.

How did ransomware infect my PC?

There are several methods used by online scams to distribute Montana virus. Even though it is uncertain how exactly Montana injects your computer, 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.

Frequently Montana virus might be presented as some genuine software application, for example, in the pop-ups advising users to carry out some important software application updates. This is the common technique used by online scams to persuade people into downloading and installing Montana infection manually, by means of their direct participation in the installation process.

Furthermore, the criminals may describe numerous e-mail spam strategies to inject harmful 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 encouraging users to open some video, documents, tax reports or invoices.

Needless to mention, opening such documents or clicking on such dangerous links may seriously damage the system. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player upgrade notifies may result in Montana virus injection. As for the cracked applications, these illegally downloaded programs may also consist of harmful codes causing Montana secret installation. Finally, injection of Montana may take place by methods of Trojans that privately get injected into the system and install destructive tools without the user’s consent.

Is there any method to avoid the injection of Montana ransom virus?

Despite the fact that there is no 100% guarantee to avoid your system from getting infected, there are some pieces of guidance we wish to show with you. First of all, be really mindful when you surf the web and specifically while downloading free 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 harmful. Make sure that your current anti-virus and your entire operating system is always appropriately updated.

Obviously, downloading pirated software is unlawful and may result in essential damage to be made for your system. Thus, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also strongly encouraged to reconsider your existing security software and potentially switch to another security solution that can render far better services of defending your system.

Below please find the quotation from the Montana text file:

Hello.
If you are reading this, it means your data is encrypted and your private sensivitive information was stolen!
Read carefully the whole instructions to avoid problems with your data.
You have to contact us immediately to resolve this issue and make a deal!

!!!WARNING!!!

DO NOT modify, rename, copy or move any file. You can DAMAGE them and decryption will be impossible!
DO NOT use any third-party or public decryption software, it also may DAMAGE files.

There is ONLY ONE possible way to get back your files.
Do not waste your time, contact us and pay for special DECRYPTION TOOL. The tool is all you need.
For your guarantee we can decrypt 2 of your text or image files for free, as a proof that it works.

Your network was fully COMPROMISED! We can discuss how to secure it as a bonus.
The data that we gathered could be published in MASS MEDIA for BREAKING NEWS!
If we make a deal everything would be kept in secret and all your data will be restored.
I could make them public them if you decide not to pay.
Contact us immediately:
montanarecover@mail.ee
montanarecover@cock.li

Your Personal ID: -

Screenshot of files with “.Montana” extension added by the ransomware:

Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove Montana 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.

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.