Remove OFF Virus (.[tiocapvbu@aol.com].OFF Files Ransomware) – Dharma Ransomware

OFF Virus Ransomware

The OFF mean a ransomware-type infection. The infection comes from the Dharma ransomware family. OFF was elaborated particularly to encrypt all major file types. When the file is encrypted people are unable to use them. OFF adds the “.[tiocapvbu@aol.com].OFF” extension for each file encrypted by it. For example, the file “myphoto.jpg“, when encrypted by OFF, will be renamed into “myphoto.jpg.[tiocapvbu@aol.com].OFF“. As soon as the encryption is finished, OFF places a special text file into every folder containing the encrypted data.

The message given by OFF text file asking for the ransom is definitely the like the statements given by other ransomware virus representatives belonging to the Dharma type. It literally points out that the info is encrypted which the only way to bring back it is to use a an unique decryption key. Unfortunately, this is absolutely true. The type of cryptography mechanism applied by OFF is still not correctly examined. Still, it is definitely certain that each victim may be given the specific decryption key, which is absolutely distinct. It is difficult to bring back the files without the key available.

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

Nevertheless, irrespective of the asked for quantity, people should stay away from paying the virus. Cyber frauds are unfair, so they tend to entirely ignore what their victims feel about the issue, even when the payment reaches their pockets. This is why paying the ransom normally does not give any positive result and people simply waste their money for absolutely nothing.

We strongly encourage 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 OFF ransomware and to recover the data data free of charge. Hence, the only right decision is to recover the lost information from the available backup.

Virus Summary

Name	OFF Ransomware
File Extension	.[tiocapvbu@aol.com].OFF
Type	Ransomware
Family	Dharma
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 [tiocapvbu@aol.com].OFF extension to all the files modified by it.
Distribution Method	Spam 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 OFF ransomware. Malicious programs of such kind are usually elaborated to encrypt crucial 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 similar algorithm to produce the unique decryption key for data decryption.

Hence, 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 avoid the loss of your important files is to frequently 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 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 location.

How did ransomware infect my computer?

There are numerous methods used by online frauds to distribute OFF virus. Although it doubts how precisely OFF injects your PC, there are some leaks through which it may infiltrate the system:

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

Often OFF virus might be presented as some legitimate software application, for instance, in the pop-ups instructing users to carry out some crucial software updates. This is the typical trick used by online scams to persuade people into downloading and installing OFF infection manually, by ways of their direct participation in the installation process.

Furthermore, the criminals may describe different email spam techniques to inject harmful 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 badly damage the system. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player update informs may result in OFF virus injection. As for the cracked software, these illegally downloaded programs may also contain harmful codes resulting in OFF secret installation. Lastly, injection of OFF may take place by means of Trojans that privately get injected into the system and install malicious utilities without the user’s permission.

Is there any way to avoid the injection of OFF ransomware?

Although there is no 100% guarantee to avoid your PC from getting infected, there are some pieces of advice we want to show with you. To start with, be very mindful when you surf the web and particularly while downloading complimentary programs. 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 harmful. Make sure that your current antivirus software and your entire OS is always duly updated.

Obviously, downloading pirated software is prohibited and may result in vital damage to be made for your system. Thus, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also strongly advised to reconsider your existing security software and potentially switch to another security solution that can render much better services of protecting your Windows.

Below please find the quotation from the OFF text file:

All your files have been encrypted!

All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail tiocapvbu@aol.com
Write this ID in the title of your message -
In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to theese e-mails:999@me2bgruzs6itptly.onion
You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us. After payment we will send you the decryption tool that will decrypt all your files.

Free decryption as guarantee
Before paying you can send us up to 1 file for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 1Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information. (databases,backups, large excel sheets, etc.)

How to obtain Bitcoins
The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click \'Buy bitcoins\', and select the seller by payment method and price.
hxxps://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins
Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here:
hxxp://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/

Attention!
Do not rename encrypted files.
Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.
===============================
all your data has been locked us
You want to return?
Write email tiocapvbu@aol.com or 999@me2bgruzs6itptly.onion 

Screenshot of files with “.[tiocapvbu@aol.com].OFF” extension added by the ransomware:

Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove OFF 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.