ANNOY Ransomware (annoy@mailum.com) Removal

Safety specialist Tomas Meskauskas was the person who originally brought to light the Annoy virus, which belongs under the ransomware type of malicious agent. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (photos, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its own extension to every file.

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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What is Annoy virus?

The scheme of renaming is the following: .annoy. In the process of encryption, a file entitled, for example, “report.docx” will be changed to “report.docx..FBDC1672-D8E4-6322-BAAA-BCC19668745C.annoy”.

The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the Annoy developers. You can get this tool after contacting annoy@mailum.com via email. That is pretty much the scheme of the felony.

Annoy Overview:

The note coming in package with the Annoy ransomware provides the following dispiriting information:

I\'ll try to be brief: 1. It is beneficial for us that your files are decrypted no less than you, we don\'t want to harm you, we just want to get a ransom for our work.
2. Its only takes for us at list 20 minutes after payment to completely decrypt you,
to its original state, it\'s very simple for us!
3.If you contact decryption companies, you are automatically exposed to publicity,also, these companies do not care about your files at all, they only think about their own benefit!
4.They also contact the police. Again, only you suffer from this treatment!
5. We have developed a scheme for your secure decryption without any problems, unlike the above companies,
who just as definitely come to us to decipher you and simply make a profit from you as intermediaries, preventing a quick resolution of this issue!


6. In case of refusal to pay, we transfer all your personal data such as (emails, link to panel, payment documents , certificates , personal information of you staff, SQL,ERP,financial information for other hacker groups) and they will come to you again for sure!

 

We will also publicize this attack using social networks and other media, which will significantly affect your reputation!


7. If you contact us no more than 12 hours after the attack, the price is only 50% of the price afterwards!


8. Do not under any circumstances try to decrypt the files yourself; you will simply break them!


We was more than 2 weeks inside of your network !


We have DOWNLOADING MANY OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA ! ! !


Contacts

Download the (Session) messenger (hxxps://getsession.org) in messenger :ID\"0585ae8a3c3a688c78cf2e2b2b7df760630377f29c0b36d999862861bdbf93380d\"
MAIL:annoy annoy@mailum.com

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

That is how encrypted “.annoy” files look.

How did my computer get infected with Annoy ransomware?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for criminals to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer file transfer.

• If you access your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a malicious file enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file scheme. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something different. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some software. However, what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that encrypts your data. As the installation file can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the files you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Annoy virus will probably deploy Vidar Stealer on your computer to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Remove Annoy 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 Annoy 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 “Annoy” 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 Annoy 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 racketeers would decode some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. As Annoy virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the decryption instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.

Understandably, if the evildoers succeed in encrypting victim’s critical data, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After getting the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about ransomware developers just vanishing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.

The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Of course, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.

There are other ransomware products, besides Annoy, that work similarly. Examples of those are Sauron, Niko, Moon, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Annoy are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each folder containing encoded files.

Some lucky victims were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminals’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.

How do I avoid ransomware infection?

Annoy ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.

You can protect your PC from its infiltration within three easy steps:

• Ignore any letters from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (how can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the dubious email with caution. A hoax letter will always have a mistake.
• Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” to prevent the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.
• And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect defense for your PC.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Is it possible to open “.annoy” files?

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

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

If the “.annoy” 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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Annoy virus?

Absolutely not! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with active viruses. The virus that has infiltrated your system is must be still active and running scans periodically to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Annoy ransomware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide malefactors with easy access to your PC in the future.

🤔 What actions should I take if the Annoy ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

If that happened, you need to prepare a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or imported into your system. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 What can I do right now?

Some of the encrypted data can be located elsewhere.

• If you sent or received your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• 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 got any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, phone, external storage, etc.

HINT: You can use data recovery programs¹ to get your lost data back since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

1. Here’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2024.