Do you know what Cypher Ransomware is?
Now is the time to protect your operating system. If you do not do that, the next misstep you make could lead to the infiltration of Cypher Ransomware. This ransomware demands a ransom in return for a decryptor that allegedly can free your files. Before that, the infection corrupts them by encrypting them using a complicated algorithm. If you do not have a decryption key, restoring the files is impossible. The bad news is that even if cyber criminals have this key, they are unlikely to share it with you. Of course, the attackers behind this malicious threat want to make you believe that you can obtain the key and recover the files so long as you pay the ransom. The ransom is incredibly big, and there is no insurance, which means that you rely solely on the goodwill of cyber criminals. Needless to say, that is a huge risk. We discuss that, as well as how to delete Cypher Ransomware, in this report.
Whether you are facing Driedsister Ransomware, Annabelle Ransomware, Thanatos Ransomware, or the malicious Cypher Ransomware, you have to think about the distribution. How did this malware slither into your operating system unsuspected? Did you let it in by executing the launcher concealed as a harmless spam email attachment? Maybe it was hidden in a software bundle, and you did not notice it at all? Unfortunately, when the threat slithers in, it does not make itself noticeable at all, and that allows it to encrypt your personal files. The ones that are encrypted get the “.cypher” extension added to their names. Do not delete this extension because that will not change anything. Well, can you reverse the damage by removing Cypher Ransomware itself? Eliminating this malicious threat is incredibly important, but your files cannot be recovered by doing so.
From what our research team has gathered, when the threat slithers in, it creates only two files, and both of them are meant to represent the ransom demands. One of the ransom note files created by Cypher Ransomware is called “HOW_TO_DECRYPT_FILES.html.” This file should show a message pointing to u4hp32ms2u6s4x7q.onion.casa/decrypt/. To access this site, you would need to download the Tor Browser, but, according to our researchers, this site does not work at the moment. When it does, it should show information regarding the payment of the ransom. When it comes to the ransom, it is represented via the second ransom note file, “readme_decrypt.txt.” Here, you are informed that the sum of the ransom is 1 BTC. 1 Bitcoin might seem like nothing if you are not familiar with this popular cryptocurrency, but when you convert it to US Dollars – at the moment, it comes up to over $10,000 – you realize just how ridiculous it is. Since the ransom is so humongous, it is possible that Cypher Ransomware was created to corrupt the files that belong to bigger companies and organizations. That is something we are yet to confirm.
It should not be hard to find and remove Cypher Ransomware ransom note files; however, we cannot guarantee that every victim will be able to find and erase the .exe file that launched the infection in the first place. Some might be able to spot it right away, and others might blindly remove the wrong files, and we do not want that. If you can delete Cypher Ransomware yourself, go ahead, but if you cannot, think about installing an anti-malware tool. You might need to invest a little bit, but it is an investment worth making because once malware is deleted, the tool will continuously protect you, which means that you will not need to face malicious infections in the future.
Delete Cypher Ransomware
- Find and Delete the {launcher name}.exe file (look for recently downloaded, suspicious files).
- Delete the ransom note file, HOW_TO_DECRYPT_FILES.html (it might have copies).
- Delete the ransom note file, readme_decrypt.txt (it might have copies).
- Empty Recycle Bin and then perform a full system scan to check if you have successfully eliminated all malicious infections from your system.
In non-techie terms:
Your operating system must have been vulnerable if it was invaded by Cypher Ransomware, and that is something you need to think about. Even if you remove Cypher Ransomware, and then successfully restore your files from backups – as you now know, decrypting them is not possible – your system will remain vulnerable. What can you do? The easiest and best solution is to install a legitimate anti-malware program. If you install it, the ransomware will be eliminated automatically, and your system will be protected too. If you are not interested in investing in your virtual security, you will need to erase the ransomware manually, and that could be difficult, if not impossible. Note that the guide above is very generic because the launcher’s location and name are unknown. If you have questions for our research team working on this threat, add them to the comments section.