What is Indrik ransomware? And how does it execute its attack?
Indrik ransomware is a data-encrypting malware that was discovered recently. It doesn’t appear to originate from any popular ransomware groups which leads malware researchers to believe that it is created entirely by some individual or group of cybercriminals. It uses the AES 256 encryption algorithm in locking important data in an infected computer. Based on the reports, Indrik ransomware has mostly compromised remote desktop accounts.
The instant its malicious payload is dropped in the system, Indrik ransomware will execute a sequence of modifications. It starts by downloading its components and placing them on system folders. These components are used for the two modules. The first module is called the data gathering module which collects information from the system. The data collected is then used for the second module called stealth protection. In this second module, the crypto-malware scans the system for strings of security programs, firewalls, debug environments, and antivirus programs installed on the computer.
Once it finds them, it either disables them or completely removes them in order to prevent them from interfering with the attack. In addition, Indrik ransomware also modifies some entries in the Windows Registry, allowing it to execute its attack automatically each time a user turns on the computer.
After the system modifications, Indrik ransomware will look for its targeted files and once it finds them, encrypts them using the AES 256 cipher. Following the encryption of the targeted files, it appends the .INDRIK extension to each one of the affected files and drops a file named “# HOW TO DECRYPT YOUR FILES #.html” which contains the following content:
“Dead Line
[Days Hours Minutes Seconds|COUNTDOWN TIMER]
UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION
[random characters]
What Happened to y Files
All your files have been encrypted using a military-grade encryption algorithm. Any attempt to decrypt or recover your files else than use will cause permanent damage to your files. This means you will lose them forever. The only way you can decrypt your files is to purchase your unique decryption tool from us.
YOU HAVE ONLY 7 DAYS TO PURCHASE YOUR DECRYPTION TOOL BEFORE DESTROYING ALL YOUR FILES”
It is not advised to use third-party tools to decrypt, If we find them you, will forever lose your files.
What is the Dead Line?
It’s the last time that you have had the opportunity to communicate with us.
AFTER THE COUNTDOWN FINISHED, THE LIFETIME OF YOUR FILES WILL GO DOWN TO ETERNAL DEATH
How Can Restore My Files?
To restore your files and return them to their normal state. you must send your request to both the address [email protected] and [email protected] with the same subject.
NOTE THAT ADD THE ‘UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION IN THE TEXT OF EMAIL OR ATTACH ‘# HOW TO DECRYPT YOUR FILES #.HTML’ FILE TO THE EMAIL
Also, in order to further trust us, we are ready to decrypt a single of your file less than 5 megabytes of size for free.”
How is the malicious payload of Indrik ransomware distributed online?
The malicious payload of Indrik ransomware is distributed using several techniques. And according to the reports, it primarily targeted remote desktop accounts which means that it might infect computers by hacking through an unprotected RDP configuration. Aside from that, it could also spread as an infected file attached to spam emails as well as a fake update or fake software, exploit kits, and many more.
Obliterate Indrik ransomware from your computer by following the removal steps provided below and the advanced steps that follow.
Step_1: First, you have to stop the malicious process of Indrik ransomware by opening the Task Manager. To do that, simply tap Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard.
Step_2: Under the Task Manager, switch to the Processes tab and find the suspicious-looking process that takes up most of your CPU’s resources and is most likely related to Indrik ransomware.
Step_3: After that, close the Task Manager.
Step_4: Tap Win + R, type in appwiz.cpl and click OK or tap Enter to open Programs and Features under Control Panel.
Step_5: Under the list of installed programs, look for Indrik ransomware or anything similar and then uninstall it.
Step_6: Next, close the Control Panel and tap Win + E keys to launch File Explorer.
Step_7: Navigate to the following locations below and look for Indrik ransomware’s malicious components such as “# HOW TO DECRYPT YOUR FILES #.html”, [random].exe, and other suspicious files, then delete all of them.
- %TEMP%
- %WINDIR%\System32\Tasks
- %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Templates\
- %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
- %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
Step_8: 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 trouble and time, you can just use Restoro, 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_9: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in Regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.
Step_10: Navigate to the following path:
- 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_11: Delete the registry keys and sub-keys created by Indrik ransomware.
Step_12: Close the Registry Editor and empty the Recycle Bin.
Try to recover your encrypted files using the Shadow Volume copies
Restoring your encrypted files using Windows Previous Versions feature will only be effective if Indrik ransomware hasn’t deleted the shadow copies of your files. But still, this is one of the best and free methods there is, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
To restore the encrypted file, right-click on it and select Properties, a new window will pop up, then proceed to Previous Versions. It will load the file’s previous version before it was modified. After it loads, select any of the previous versions displayed on the list like the one in the illustration below. And then click the Restore button.
Congratulations, you have just removed Indrik Ransomware in Windows 10 all by yourself. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit fixmypcfree.com daily.
Now that’s how you remove Indrik Ransomware in Windows 10 on a computer. On the other hand, if your computer is going through some system-related issues that have to get fixed, there is a one-click solution known as Restoro you could check out to resolve them.
This program is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For a complete set of instructions in downloading and using it, refer to the steps below
Perform a full system scan using Restoro. To do so, follow the instructions below.
