How to Wipe Out Spartacus Ransomware (Crypto-Malware/Ransomware)

What is Spartacus ransomware? And how does it execute its attack?

Spartacus ransomware is yet another file-encrypting virus that was first spotted on April 15, 2018. It seems that this crypto-malware has similarities with the variants of Unikey ransomware so these ransomware infections could be related. This ransomware threat is being disguised as a file named “SF.exe” which may spread via spam emails. Once this file is executed, Spartacus ransomware will begin to execute its attack on the infected PC by scanning its entire drive looking for files to encrypt. These files may contain the following file extensions:
.PNG .PSD .PSPIMAGE .TGA .THM .TIF .TIFF .YUV .AI .EPS .PS .SVG .INDD .PCT .PDF .XLR .XLS .XLSX .ACCDB .DB .DBF .MDB .PDB .SQL .APK .APP .BAT .CGI .COM .EXE .GADGET .JAR .PIF .WSF .DEM .GAM .NES .ROM .SAV CAD Files .DWG .DXF GIS Files .GPX .KML .KMZ .ASP .ASPX .CER .CFM .CSR .CSS .HTM .HTML .JS .JSP .PHP .RSS .XHTML. DOC .DOCX .LOG .MSG .ODT .PAGES .RTF .TEX .TXT .WPD .WPS .CSV .DAT .GED .KEY .KEYCHAIN .PPS .PPT .PPTX ..INI .PRF Encoded Files .HQX .MIM .UUE .7Z .CBR .DEB .GZ .PKG .RAR .RPM .SITX .TAR.GZ .ZIP .ZIPX .BIN .CUE .DMG .ISO .MDF .TOAST .VCD SDF .TAR .TAX2014 .TAX2015 .VCF .XML Audio Files .AIF .IFF .M3U .M4A .MID .MP3 .MPA .WAV .WMA Video Files .3G2 .3GP .ASF .AVI .FLV .M4V .MOV .MP4 .MPG .RM .SRT .SWF .VOB .WMV 3D .3DM .3DS .MAX .OBJ R.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG .CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG
Spartacus ransomware encrypts files using a combination of AES and a guard-coded RSA encryption algorithm. Upon successful encryption, it marks encrypted files with the .Spartacus or [[email protected]].Spartacus extension and delivers a ransom note in a file named “READ ME.txt”. Other users also reported seeing a lock screen that also contains a ransom note that states:
“All your files have been encrypted!
All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, write us the e-mail:
[email protected] and send personal ID KEY:
[48 RANDOM CHARACTERS]
In case of no answer in 24 hours us to these e-mail: [email protected]
You have to pay for decryption of Bitcoins. The price depends on how you write to us. After payment, we will send you the decryption tool that will decrypt all your files.
Free decryption as guarantee
Before paying can send us up to 5 files for free decryption. The total size of the file must be less than 10Mb (non-archived), and files should not contain valuable information (databases, backups, large excel sheets, etc.)
How to obtain Bitcoins
The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click “Buy bitcoins”, and select the seller by payment method and price.
xxxxs://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins
Also, you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here:
xxxxs://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/
Attention!
Do not rename encrypted files.
Do not try to decrypt your data using party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.”
How is the malicious payload of Spartacus ransomware disseminated?
“SF.exe”, Spartacus ransomware’s malicious payload, is distributed via spam emails, rogue software or software updates, or it could also be installed directly into the targeted PC by taking advantage of unprotected Remote Desktop services.
Refer to the removal guide provided below to kill Spartacus ransomware and its malicious components from your system.
Step 1: Restart your PC and boot into Safe Mode with Command Prompt by pressing F8 a couple of times until the Advanced Options menu appears.

Step 2: Navigate to Safe Mode with Command Prompt using the arrow keys on your keyboard. After selecting Safe Mode with Command Prompt hit Enter.
Step 3: After loading the Command Prompt type cd restore and hit Enter.

Step 4: After cd restore, type in rstrui.exe and hit Enter.

Step 5: A new window will appear, and then click Next.

Step 6: Select any of the Restore Points on the list and click Next. This will restore your computer to its previous state before being infected with the Spartacus Ransomware. A dialog box will appear and then click Yes.

Step 7: After System Restore has been completed, try to enable the disabled Windows services.

Press Win + R keys to launch Run.
Type in gpedit.msc in the box and press Enter to open Group Policy.
Under Group Policy, navigate to:
1. User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System
After that, open Prevent access to the command prompt.
Select Disable to enable cmd
Click the OK button
After that, go to:
1. Configuration\Administrative Templates\System
Double click on the Prevent Access to registry editing tools.
Choose Disabled and click OK.
Navigate to :
1. User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System>Ctrl+Alt+Del Options
Double click on Remove Task Manager.
And then set its value to Disabled.

Step 8: Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc at the same time. Proceed to the Processes tab and look for the malicious processes of Spartacus Ransomware and end them all.

Step 9: Open Control Panel by pressing Start key + R to launch Run and type appwiz.cpl in the search box and click OK to open the list of installed programs. From there, look for Spartacus ransomware or any malicious program and then Uninstall it.

Step 10: Tap Windows + E keys to open the File Explorer then navigate to the following directories and delete the malicious files created by Spartacus ransomware such as READ ME.txt and SF.exe.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step 11: Close the File Explorer.
Before you proceed to the next steps below, make sure that you are tech savvy enough to the point where you know exactly how to use and navigate your computer’s Registry. Keep in mind that any changes you make will highly impact your computer. To save you the trouble and time, you can just use [product-name], this system tool is proven to be safe and excellent enough that hackers won’t be able to hack into it. But if you can manage Windows Registry well, then, by all means, go on to the next steps.
Step 12: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.

Step 13: Navigate to the paths listed below and delete all the registry values added by Spartacus ransomware.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

Step 14: Close the Registry Editor and empty your Recycle Bin.
Once you’re done with the steps given above, you need to continue the Spartacus ransomware removal process using a reliable program like [product-name]. How? Follow the advanced removal steps below.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.