4G3J7 Files (4G3J7 Ransomware) — How to remove virus?

The 4g3j7 virus falls under the ransomware type of malicious agent. This ransomware belongs to Hive ransomware family. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the xG7b_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt text files in each directory containing encrypted files.

What is known about the 4g3j7virus?

☝️ A strictly accurate description for the 4g3j7 would be “a ransomware infection”.

The renaming will be done by the following scheme: [random string].4g3j7. In the course of encryption, a file named, for instance, “report.docx” will be renamed to “report.docx.3BCWOB3397F9UCB9BASKLLF319RF910B.4g3j7”.

In every directory that contains the encoded files, a xG7b_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt text document will be found. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is it.

4g3j7 summary:

In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the 4g3j7 looks like. Each filename has the “.[random string].4g3j7” extension added to it.

How did my machine catch 4g3j7 ransomware?

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

Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for malefactors to have the 4g3j7 virus settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer networks.

If you open your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malware file enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.

As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of the 4g3j7 virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the 4g3j7 virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware² can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Sometimes racketeers would unblock some of your files so you know that they really have the decryption program. Since 4g3j7 virus is a relatively recent ransomware, security software engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently updated, so the solution may soon be available.

Understandably, if the tamperers do the job of encrypting someone’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of malefactors just vanishing after getting the ransom without even writing back.

The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external disk. Obviously, that might be insufficient. The most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.

4g3j7 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, Ooii, Fgui, Rtgf, and some others. The two major differences between them and the 4g3j7 are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: documents become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in every folder containing encrypted files.

Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.

How to avert ransomware infection?

4g3j7 ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.

You can protect your system from ransomware injection within several easy steps:

• Ignore any emails from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the suspicious letter with caution. A fake email will surely contain a mistake.
• Never use cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to tell from reliable software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal solution is not to use such software.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft³

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”.

FAQ

🤔 Is it possible to open “.[random string].4g3j7” files?

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.[random string].4g3j7” files first. Then you will be able to open them.

🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?

Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. The rest of the methods require patience.

🤔 What to do if the 4g3j7 ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Some of the encrypted data can be located elsewhere.

• If you sent or received your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to post those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, phone, memory stick, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can use data recovery programs⁵ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

Also, you can contact the following governmental 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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