Hand of God Ransomware

The Hand of God Ransomware is a ransomware Trojan that may be delivered to victims through corrupted links and compromised spam email attachments. The Hand of God Ransomware does not carry out an actual encryption attack like most encryption ransomware Trojans. Rather than encrypting the victim's files, the Hand of God Ransomware generates a full-screen window that demands a ransom payment from the victim, functioning more like a screen locker than as an encryption ransomware Trojan. The Hand of God Ransomware demands a ransom of 0.06 Bitcoin, approximately 500 USD at the current exchange rate. Affected users should refrain from following the instructions in the Hand of God Ransomware Trojan lock screen and remove this ransomware Trojan from the infected computer completely.

The Hand of God Ransomware and Its Ransom Note

The Hand of God Ransomware message is written in French and makes it seem as if the message comes from the FBI Anti-Piracy Division (a common tactic in these attacks, which are derived from a category of threat commonly known as 'police ransomware'). These attacks will blame the victim for some wrong-doing, often online piracy and sex-related actions, and then demand the payment of a 'fine' or 'fee.' The full text of tactic Hand of God Ransomware ransom translated from the original French reads:

'V0TR3 M4CH1N3 35T M41NT3N4NT INN4CE55I813
ATTENTION You Have Been Hacked !!!
This Computer and all its important data have been erased
The Hand of God punishes you for cheating job seekers
promising them a job in Canada for a telephone operator position ...
Any attempts to dissable this program will fail
Your system functions have been disabled
This program is designed to self-destruct in 2 days by executing
Complete deletion of all your files
How to Disable This Virus
You must pay the amount of 0.06 Bitcoin (estimated) = 555.29 Dollar (CAD)
to the following bitcoin address: 1Emhk1iJhcVTxPEWu4vqwPyUjXqz33So3F
Means of payment
You have several means of payment which consist
of buying and transferring bitcoins to the address indicated above
Please visit the following site: h[tt]ps://cryptogains[.]fr/229-how-to-purchase-bitcoins'

Apart from the message, the Hand of God Ransomware note also includes the FBI logo to make it seems as if it is connected to law enforcement.However, there is no relation or truth between the Hand of God Ransomware Trojan, the law enforcement, or any other of the statements in the Hand of God Ransomware's ransom note.

Protecting Your Computer from the Hand of God Ransomware

Fortunately, threats like the Hand of God Ransomware are not capable of removing the victim's data, encrypting it, or carrying out any of its threats. The Hand of God Ransomware attack is limited to displaying this threatening message and preventing the victims from accessing their data through the use of a lock screen. Computer users can bypass the Hand of God Ransomware ransom note through the use of alternate start-up methods, such as using Safe Mode or starting up from a different device. Part of the Hand of God Ransomware attack involves disabling keyboard shortcuts, the Windows utilities, and programs such as the Windows Task Manager, which could help computer users bypass the Hand of God Ransomware message. The Hand of God Ransomware Trojan itself can be removed with the help of an updated security app once access has been restored to the infected computer. Sometimes it may be necessary for some computer users to restore their settings manually, such as restoring their start-up programs or other settings that may have been changed by the Hand of God Ransomware. To prevent future attacks, computer users need to take precautions when handling unsolicited email messages or other possibly suspicious content online, such as online advertisements or downloaded plug-ins and updates.