2023 Ransomware 🔐 (.2023 File) — Removal Guide

The 2023 virus falls within the Dharma ransomware family. Ransomware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, creating the README!.txt files in each directory containing encrypted files.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

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2023 virus: what is known so far?

☝️ 2023 is a Dharma family ransomware infection.

The scheme of renaming is this: id-xxxxx.[contact-email].2023. As a part of encryption, a file entitled, for instance, “report.docx” will be changed to “report.docx.id-9ECFA84E.[[email protected]].2023”.

In each directory with the encrypted files, a README!.txt text document will appear. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can obtain this decryptor after contacting [email protected] through email. That is it.

2023 Overview:

The README!.txt file accompanying the 2023 malware provides the following frustrating information:

Your data has been stolen and encrypted!


email us


[email protected] or [email protected] 

In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the 2023 looks like. Each filename has the “.2023” extension added to it.

An example of encrypted .2023 files.

How did my machine catch 2023 ransomware?

There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most exploited methods for malefactors to have the 2023 virus planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer file transfer.

• If you access your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a ransomware item attached to them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse model. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your PC disguised as something different. For example, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some program. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful agent that compromises your data. As the update package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the 2023 virus will probably deploy Vidar Stealer on your computer to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Remove 2023 with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware

We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common Ransomware as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove 2023 as well as other malware hiding on your computer.

To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:

1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.

2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.

3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.

4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.

Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.

5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.

6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.

8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.

Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.

Trojan Killer for “2023” removal on locked PC

In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.

There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.

Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.

Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:

1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.

2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.

3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.

4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.

Step 2: Update Signature Databases:

5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.

6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.

Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:

7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.

8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.

9. Insert the USB flash drive.

10. Run tk.exe

11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.

Step 4: Remove Found Threats:

12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.

13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.

14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer:

15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.

16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.

Congratulations on effectively removing 2023 and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.

Sometimes tamperers would unblock few of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. As 2023 virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware instruments are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.

Of course, if the tamperers succeed in encrypting someone’s critical files, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports of malefactors just vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud drive or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.

2023 is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Earth, Ptrz, Ptqw, and some others. The two major differences between them and the 2023 are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in every folder containing encrypted files.

Some lucky users were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How do I avoid ransomware injection?

2023 ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, neither does any similar malware.

You can defend your PC from its attack taking three easy steps:

• Never open any emails from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the questionable letter with caution. A fake email will surely have mistakes.
• Never use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked products, most likely as a “patch” which prevents the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from reliable ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such programs at all.
• And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful armor for your PC.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Can I somehow access “.2023” files?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.2023” files you will not be able to access them.

🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?

If the “.2023” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. All other solutions require time.

🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the 2023 virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?

No way! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual viruses. The ransomware that has infected your PC is probably still functional and running scans every so often to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the attack. As it has been said above, the 2023 malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your computer after some time.

🤔 What to do if the 2023 virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.

In such an unfortunate situation, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your computer. To stop this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Many of the encoded files might still be at your disposal

• If you sent or received your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You may have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to post those images back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, cellphone, flash memory, etc.

HINT: You can use file recovery programs² to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you can do it only after you kill the virus with an antivirus program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.