The Albasa virus falls within the ransomware type of infection. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, leaving the RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt files in each folder with the encrypted files.
What is Albasa virus?
☝️ A scientifically accurate designation for the Albasa is “a ransomware infection”.
Albasa will add its own .ALBASA extension to every file’s title. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.ALBASA”. In the same manner, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.ALBASA”, and so on.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt file will appear. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is basically the scheme of the felony.
Albasa outline:
| Name | Albasa Virus |
| Extension | .ALBASA |
| Ransomware note | RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt |
| Detection | Trojan:Win32/Ymacco.AB89, Win32/Injector.SBZ, MSIL/Filecoder.EvilNominatus.D |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .ALBASA extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Albasa virus |
The RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt file accompanying the Albasa malware provides the following discouraging information:
------------------
| What happened? |
------------------
Your network was ATTACKED, your computers and servers were LOCKED,
Your private data was DOWNLOADED:
- Contracts
- Customers data
- Finance
- HR
- Databases
- And more other...
----------------------
| What does it mean? |
----------------------
It means that soon mass media, your partners and clients WILL KNOW about your PROBLEM.
--------------------------
| How it can be avoided? |
--------------------------
In order to avoid this issue,
you are to COME IN TOUCH WITH US no later than within 3 DAYS and conclude the data recovery and breach fixing AGREEMENT.
-------------------------------------------
| What if I do not contact you in 3 days? |
-------------------------------------------
If you do not contact us in the next 3 DAYS we will begin DATA publication.
We will post information about hacking of your company on our twitter hxxps://twitter.com/RobinHoodLeaks or hxxps://www.gettr.com/user/robinhoodleaks
ALL CLINTS WILL LEARN ABOUT YOUR HACKING AND LEAKAGE OF DATA!!! YOUR COMPANY\'S REPUTATION WILL BE HURTLY DAMAGED!
-----------------------------
| I can handle it by myself |
-----------------------------
It is your RIGHT, but in this case all your data will be published for public USAGE.
-------------------------------
| I do not fear your threats! |
-------------------------------
That is not the threat, but the algorithm of our actions.
If you have hundreds of millions of UNWANTED dollars, there is nothing to FEAR for you.
That is the EXACT AMOUNT of money you will spend for recovery and payouts because of PUBLICATION.
You are exposing yourself to huge penalties with lawsuits and government if we both don\'t find an agreement.
We have seen it before cases with multi million costs in fines and lawsuits,
not to mention the company reputation and losing clients trust and the medias calling non-stop for answers.
--------------------------
| You have convinced me! |
--------------------------
Then you need to CONTACT US, there is few ways to DO that.
---Secure method---
a) Download a qTOX client: hxxps://tox.chat/download.html
b) Install the qTOX client and register account
c) Add our qTOX ID: -
d) Write us extension of your encrypted files .ALBASA
Our LIVE SUPPORT is ready to ASSIST YOU on this chat.
----------------------------------------
| What will I get in case of agreement |
----------------------------------------
You WILL GET full DECRYPTION of your machines in the network, DELETION your data from our servers,
RECOMMENDATIONS for securing your network perimeter.
And the FULL CONFIDENTIALITY ABOUT INCIDENT.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files that were processed is: 66754
In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Albasa looks like. Each filename has the “.ALBASA” extension added to it.
That is how encrypted “.ALBASA” files look.
How did my machine catch Albasa ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for tamperers to have ransomware acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer networks.
If you access your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a ransomware file enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus scheme1. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your PC pretending to be something else. For example, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some service. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful program that corrupts your data. Since the update wizard can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Albasa virus?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Albasa virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes tamperers would unblock several of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Albasa virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decoding instruments are constantly updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the malefactors do the job of encrypting victim’s critical data, the desperate person will probably fulfill 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 deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of racketeers simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The best countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud disk or at least on an external storage. Surely, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Albasa, that work similarly. Examples of those are Eucy, Rtgf, Ccps, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Albasa are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes are found in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some lucky users were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware infection?
Albasa ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can armour yourself from ransomware infiltration taking several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious letter carefully. A hoax email will surely have mistakes.
- Never use cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try to find information on this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful defense for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft3
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft4.
Download Removal Tool.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your computer.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for Albasa infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 How can I open “.ALBASA” files?Is it possible to open“.ALBASA” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.ALBASA” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.ALBASA” files ASAP. How can I do that?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. All other solutions require time.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Albasa virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
Absolutely not! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete actual viruses from your system. The virus that has attacked your system is most likely still active and launching checks periodically to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Albasa virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What to do if the Albasa ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to have a flash memory card 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 block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be within your reach
- If you sent or received your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may 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 got any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, phone, external storage, etc.
HINT: You can use file recovery programs5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you kill the virus with an anti-malware 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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Brendan SmithHow to Remove ALBASA Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ALBASA Virus
Description: ALBASA Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .ALBASA extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
