360 Ransomware (.360 files) — How to remove virus?

The 360 virus belongs with the ransomware type of malicious agent. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the !_INFO.txt files in every directory which contains the encrypted files.

What is known about the 360virus?

☝️ A scientifically correct denomination for the 360 would be “a ransomware-type infection”.

360 adds its extra .360 extension to the title of each encoded file. For instance, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.360”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.360”, and so on.

In every folder containing the encoded files, a !_INFO.txt text document will appear. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is basically the scheme of the malefaction.

360 outline:

In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the 360 looks like. Each filename has the “.360” extension appended to it.

How did my computer get infected with 360 ransomware?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware injection.

There are currently three most exploited methods for malefactors to have the 360 virus acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration, and peer-to-peer networks.

If you access your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a viral file attached to them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.

As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use 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 complete.

How to remove the 360 virus?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the 360 virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your computer to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Often racketeers would decode some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. As 360 virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.

Of course, if the tamperers do the job of encoding victim’s critical data, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still risky. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of malefactors just disappearing after getting the money without even writing back.

The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud drive or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that one you were working upon when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the system restoration.

360 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, Eucy, Ccps, Rtgf, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the 360 are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in each folder containing encrypted files.

Some fortunate victims were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decryption code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.

How do I avoid ransomware infection?

360 ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.

You can defend your computer from ransomware infiltration within three easy steps:

• Never open any emails from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email carefully. A hoax letter will always contain a mistake.
• Never use cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal solution is not to use such software.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft²

Download Removal Tool.

Run the setup file.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

Click on “Clean Now”.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 How can I open “.360” files?Are the “.360” files accessible?

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.360” files first. Then you will be able to open them.

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

It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. In case you haven’t, there is still a chance that you do have a Restore Point from some time ago to roll back the whole system to the moment when it had no virus yet, but already had your files. The rest of the methods require patience.

🤔 What to do if the 360 malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 What can I do right now?

Many of the encoded files might still be at your disposal

• If you sent or received your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You may have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to give those images back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them again.
• Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, mobile, flash memory, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery utilities⁴ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you can do it only after you remove the virus with an antivirus program.

Also, you can contact the following official fraud and scam sites to report this attack:

• In the United States: On Guard Online;
• In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
• In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
• In Australia: SCAMwatch;
• In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
• In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
• In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
• In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;

To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.

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