APT Ransomware Removal Guide

Do you know what APT Ransomware is?

APT Ransomware can appear on your computer out of nowhere; or, at least, this is how you would feel when you realize that your personal files, including your pictures, videos, archives, and more, do not open and have a new extension. But, in fact, you infect your system with this “fatal” threat yourself that can cost you the “life” of your files. Rarely it is possible that when you pay the ransom fee cyber criminals want in exchange for a decryption program or the private key, they actually send you these or the infection itself runs the decryption. Unfortunately, in the case of this vicious ransomware, there is no chance for you to decrypt your files just yet even if you pay. We advise you to remove APT Ransomware the moment you notice its presence on your computer. For the details about the risks and how you can protect your PC, please read our full report.

When it comes to ransomware infections, it is very important that you understand how you can infect your system with them. In fact, it is very easy to do so. APT Ransomware, just like most of its peers, is distributed as a malicious attachment in spam e-mails. This is probably the most favorite method for criminals to spread their vicious programs. As a matter of fact, it is quite easy to deceive people with matters that could be related to anyone really. These spams can appear to be urgent issues with unpaid invoices, wrongly given credit card details, problems with an overdue parking fine, and so on. When you find such a mail in your inbox or even if it is in your spam folder, it is most likely that you will not hesitate to open it. Right? Wrong, unfortunately. Because when you open such a mail, you will only find a message that will further convince you that you need to see this attachment, which could pretend to be the picture of the overdue invoice or fine in question.APT Ransomware Removal GuideAPT Ransomware screenshot
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Although there are ransomware infections that may be dropped simply by opening such a spam mail, most of these threats are actually activated when you save the attached file and run it. Instead of the alleged invoice or document, you will start up this menace. Of course, you may see a fake invoice or whatnot, but by the time you realize that this is not for real, your files will have been encrypted and inaccessible. This is why we emphasize every time that it is vital that you become more careful around your e-mails. Remember that when you delete APT Ransomware after noticing it, you can still lose all your files. Prevention is the key here; and, of course, making regular backups on removable media.

Our researchers have found that this malware program is built on an open-source infection called Hidden Tear Ransomware. In fact, the latter project was supposed to be an object of research for security specialists to see how a ransomware attack works. Some criminals saw potential in that and rode the waves. We have seen several threats arising from the ashes of this abandoned project, including 8lock8 Ransomware and Uyari Ransomware. This malicious program encrypts the targeted files using AES-256 algorithm, which is a built-in Windows method. Your affected files get a “.dll” extension, so they will look like “myphoto.jpg.dll,” which should give you a hint about the identity of the ransomware you are dealing with.

This ransomware does not replace your desktop wallpaper with a scary ransom note warning. Instead, it creates a "DECRYPT_YOUR_FILES.HTML" file in every possible directory, including your desktop, of course. So practically you will not even know that this dangerous threat hit you until you try to use one of the encrypted files or you notice the added “.dll” extensions. When you open this .html ransom note, you learn that your files have been encrypted with RSA-4096, which is not even true. You have 5 days to transfer around 600 US dollars worth of Bitcoins to these crooks. You get the necessary information about Bitcoins as well as Bitmessage, which you have to use to send the wallet address and your personal ID you find on this page. Normally it is quite risky to send criminals the demanded amount because there is a good chance that they will not bother to decrypt your files or send you the vital private key. However, in this case, our researchers have discovered that the malicious code does not even connect to the C&C (Command and Control) servers, which simply means that there is no way for you to get the tool or the key either. In other words, this is all a scam “from top to toe.” Therefore, you do not need to spend nerve-racking hours to figure out what to do. Because there is only one thing for you to do: You must delete APT Ransomware ASAP from your system.

If you are lucky enough, you may have a backup copy, which you could use now. But before you hastily connect your external Flash drive or HDD, we warn you to remove APT Ransomware first if you do not want your clean files to be encrypted, too. You can use our guide below if you want to erase this infection manually from your PC. However, it is possible that you have had enough of malware invasions and now you want peace of mind. Let us help you with that by recommending the use of a professional anti-malware program, such as SpyHunter that will save you all the security-related headaches automatically.

How to remove APT Ransomware from Windows

  1. Tap Win+E to launch Windows File Explorer.
  2. Delete the malicious file you saved from the spam e-mail.
  3. Delete all the “DECRYPT_YOUR_FILES.HTML” files.
  4. Empty your Recycle Bin and reboot your system.

In non-techie terms:

APT Ransomware is the worst possible threat that can sneak onto your computer right now. This ransomware is based on an open-source project named Hidden Tear, which gives you the slight chance that there will be a free decryption tool on the web available one day. But for the time being it seems impossible to restore the files this beast decides to encrypt. This malware infection does not even inform you directly about the attack; although it does place ransom notes in all possible locations, including your desktop. Our researchers say that even if you pay the demanded 1 Bitcoin ($600), there is a good chance that you will not see your files again as these crooks will not send you either a tool or a decryption key, nada. Therefore, you should remove APT Ransomware right away. If you would like to defend your system from similar attacks, we suggest that you employ a malware removal tool.