'.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware

The '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware is an encryption ransomware Trojan that was first observed in late May 2018. The '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware is a low-level ransomware Trojan that is still capable of carrying out an effective ransomware attack, although with a much lower distribution than higher-profile ransomware threats. The '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware, like similar threats, may be delivered to the victims' computers through the use of corrupted documents delivered through spam email messages. These documents, commonly DOCX files, will use embedded macro scripts to download and install the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware onto the victim's computer.

How the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware Attack Works

Once the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware is installed onto the victim's computer, it will scan the victim's drives for a wide variety of user-generated files, which may include media files, documents and databases. Below, you will find a few examples of the files that threats like the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware will target in their attacks:

.3dm, .3g2, .3gp, .7zip, .aaf, .accdb, .aep, .aepx, .aet, .ai, .aif, .as, .as3, .asf, .asp, .asx, .avi, .bmp, .c, .class, .cpp, .cs, .csv, .dat, .db, .dbf, .doc, .docb, .docm, .docx, .dot, .dotm, .dotx, .dwg, .dxf, .efx, .eps, .fla, .flv, .gif, .h, .idml, .iff, .indb, .indd, .indl, .indt, .inx, .jar, .java, .jpeg, .jpg, .js, .m3u, .m3u8, .m4u, .max, .mdb, .mid, .mkv, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .mpa, .mpeg, .mpg, .msg, .pdb, .pdf, .php, .plb, .pmd, .png, .pot, .potm, .potx, .ppam, .ppj, .pps, .ppsm, .ppsx, .ppt, .pptm, .pptx, .prel, .prproj, .ps, .psd, .py, .ra, .rar, .raw, .rb, .rtf, .sdf, .sdf, .ses, .sldm, .sldx, .sql, .svg, .swf, .tif, .txt, .vcf, .vob, .wav, .wma, .wmv, .wpd, .wps, .xla, .xlam, .xll, .xlm, .xls, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xlt, .xltm, .xltx, .xlw, .xml, .xqx, .xqx, .zip.

The '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware uses the AES and RSA encryptions to make these files inaccessible, and then it takes them hostage. The '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware also will delete other Windows features that could allow the victims to recover their files, such as the Windows Restore points and the Shadow Volume Copies of the affected files. The '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware marks the files it damages with the file extension '.cryptgh0st', which will be added to the names of the files. The '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware also will deliver a ransom note in the form of an HTML file named 'READ_TO_DECRYPT.html,' which will be dropped on the infected computer's desktop. The text of the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware ransom note reads:

'THIS ISNT A JOKE !!!
ALL YOUR COMPANY DATA GOT ENCRYPTED !!!
READ THE TEXT !!!
YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED USING A
STRONG AES-256 ALGORITHM.

THIS ISNT A JOKE !!!
ALL YOUR COMPANY DATA GOT ENCRYPTED !!!
READ THE TEXT !!!'

Dealing with a '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware Infection

Malware analysts are against contacting the criminals responsible for the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware through the email account mentioned in the ransom note. It also is not recommended to pay the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware ransom amount. Instead, take preventive steps against the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware and many other encryption ransomware Trojans active today. The best protection against the '.cryptgh0st File Extension' Ransomware and the numerous other variants in this hoax is to have file backups either on the cloud or detachable devices. Having backup copies of your files means that you can restore your data easily without having to rely on the criminals to keep their word after they have made your files inaccessible.