What is APT Ransomware?
We want to warn you that a new ransomware infection called APT Ransomware has been detected by our specialists recently. APT Ransomware is a malicious application that has been developed to encrypt personal files and then demand a ransom. Our specialists working at anti-spyware-101.com encountered several different ransomware infections that only pretend to encrypt files stored on the computer during all these years; however, it is evident that APT Ransomware is not one of them. This ransomware infection is based on the Hidden Tear open-source ransomware project, so if it ever successfully infiltrates your computer, you will find out quickly that it is impossible to open any of the files you have on your system. Ransomware infections do not lock users’ personal files just for fun. They are all developed for the same purpose – to extort money from users. To be frank, it is not wise at all to transfer money to cyber criminals because you might not get the promised decryption tool in return. Therefore, our specialists highly recommend deleting APT Ransomware instead of paying money to cyber crooks. Read this article to get more knowledge regarding the removal of this ransomware.
What does APT Ransomware do?
APT Ransomware enters computers having the only purpose – to encrypt files and then ask for a ransom. Once this computer infection finishes encrypting files, you will not only notice that all your files have a new filename extension .dll, but will also find a new .html file (DECRYPT_YOUR_FILES.html) on Desktop and other folders, especially those that contain encrypted personal files. The .html file can be called a ransom note because it contains all the information users have to know, including how much money they have to transfer to get the decryption key. Find the excerpt of the message this file contains below:
All your files have been encrypted with APT Ransomware v2.0
All your files have been stealed to our server. If you don’t pay, i sell it in Black Market.
YOU HAVE 5 DAY TO MAKE PAYMENT OF ALL YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN DELETED!
Even though the ransom note contains many errors, it is not that hard to understand that users are given 5 days to pay the ransom if they wish to unlock files and want to prevent cyber criminals from selling them in the Black Market. These are serious threats, but you should still not make a payment. There are two reasons you should not do that. First of all, it has been found that the amount of money APT Ransomware requires is quite huge. At the time of writing, users have to pay 1 Bitcoin (~$630) and then contact cyber criminals through Bitmessage using the address BM-2cX4MWcTFbmKgPQX1irMiDsU84dXB6LFBv. As we have told you, there is the second reason you should keep the money to yourself too. Researchers at anti-spyware-101.com say that it is very likely that APT Ransomware does not even have the decryptor because it, as has been observed, does not send anything to its C&C (Command and Control) server.
Cyber criminals know that users might try to decrypt files using alternative ways, for example, using free file recovery software, so it deletes shadow volume copies of files as well. In order to do that, it uses the following command: vssadmin delete shadows /all. As it removes those shadow copies and uses the AES-256 encryption algorithm, it might be impossible to decrypt files without the special key. Of course, it still does not mean that we encourage users to purchase the tool cyber crooks claim to have.
Where does APT Ransomware come from?
Most probably, APT Ransomware is distributed like other popular ransomware infections these days. In other words, it is spread using malicious emails disguised as legitimate ones. As these spam emails disseminating APT Ransomware do not look bad at all, users open them without fear and download email attachments that pretend to be important documents, e.g. an invoice or a tax return form. The ransomware infection infiltrates computers the second people do that. We have only two pieces of advice for those people who have a goal to prevent malware from entering their computers. First, ignore spam emails you receive and be cautious. Second, install reliable automatic antimalware software.
How to delete APT Ransomware
APT Ransomware does not make copies of itself to different directories. Also, it does not block Desktop or system utilities. Therefore, users should not find it hard to remove it. Of course, we still suggest using the manual removal guide (you will find it below this article). If it happens that it does not help you at all, or you simply cannot find the malicious file opened yourself, you should scan your computer with SpyHunter. It will take care of APT Ransomware and leave no malicious components.
Remove APT Ransomware
- Tap Win+E.
- Go to %USERPROFILE%\Downloads and find the malicious file launched (if you cannot find it there, check other directories).
- Delete it.
- Remove .html ransom notes from folders on your computer.
tested removal of APT Ransomware*
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