DESKRYPTEDN81 Ransomware
The 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware is a ransomware infection that is used to take the victims' files hostage in exchange for a hefty ransom. The 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware belongs to a family of ransomware known as Ransom:Win32/Troldesh. The 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware and its variants can be recognized because they will append the file extension CRYPT to all encrypted files on the targeted computer. Files that have been encrypted and had their extension changed cannot be opened or accessed by the computer user. The 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware, in particular, will include the ransom payment contact information in the changed file names, appending an email address into the file name. The 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware has been known to use numerous different email addresses, which are used by its victims to contact the people responsible for these attacks in order to pay the required ransom.
What should be Done to Protect Your PC Against the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware and Similar Threats
The purpose of the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware is to encrypt the victim's files. As soon as the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware is installed, the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware scans the affected computer for all files matching a list of file extensions such as media files and office suite documents. Once the files have been encrypted, they cannot be decrypted without the decryption key. This key is stored on an external server and cannot be recovered from the infected computer. It is not viable to decrypt the encrypted files without paying the ransom demanded by the individuals responsible for the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware attack. Therefore, the most effective way to defend yourself from attacks like the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware is to backup all files using the cloud or an external device. This way, the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware infection can be removed and then the encrypted files recovered from the backup.
How the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware Carries out Its Attack
As part of the infection process, the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware will change the encrypted files' names. Once the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware has infected the computer and encrypted the victim's files, the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware will add the CRYPT extension to the end of the file and insert its contact information into the file's name. When computer users contact the email involved in the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware attack, they are asked to pay a large sum of money in exchange for the decryption key. Paying the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware ransom does not guarantee that the people responsible for the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware will provide the decryption key.
PC users that have been attacked by the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware have reported that their computers suddenly froze. A message appears informing the victims that their computers have been hijacked. Some variants of the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware use a ransom note that makes it seem as if the victim's files were encrypted by a police agency such as the FBI. These kinds of attacks use official logos and scary language to cause inexperienced computer users to panic. They will claim that the victim visited illegal websites or downloaded pirated files and that the ransom is a police fine. The most common 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware variant does not use a ransom note but simply inserts its email into the files' names.
Recovering from a the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware Attack
If you have backed up your files, PC security researchers recommend wiping your hard drive and reinstalling all files from the backup. In the absence of a backup, sometimes some files may be recovered from previous versions from the Shadow Volume. However, the odds of this occurring are very low. Computer users should remove the ransomware infection before attempting to recover any files. In most cases, files cannot be recovered without the decryption key, which is provided by the people responsible for this attack. Malware researchers strongly advise against paying the 'DESKRYPTEDN81' Ransomware ransom, since it allows third parties to continue financing these kinds of attacks, increasing the odds of another infection in the future.
