ANONCRACK Virus 🔐 (.CRACK Files) — How to Remove?

The Anoncrack virus falls under the HiddenTear ransomware family. This is open-source ransomware. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, text files, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, leaving the PAGO.txt files in every directory which contains the encrypted files.

Anoncrack virus: what is known so far?

☝️ A strictly correct description for the Anoncrack is “a HiddenTear family ransomware-type malicious agent”.

Anoncrack adds its own .crack extension to the title of every encrypted file. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.crack”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will become “table.xlsx.crack”, and so on.

In each directory containing the encrypted files, a PAGO.txt text file will be created. 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 decoding tool after contacting [email protected] via email. That is it.

Anoncrack overview:

The PAGO.txt document coming in package with the Anoncrack malware provides the following dispiriting information:

Tu computador ha sido hackeado y encriptado by ANONCRACK ...!

¿COMO RECUPERAR TUS ARCHIVOS?

1. Realiza el pago de 30 USD ha esta direccion bitcoin : 1CvWhugm6QbHisVvhyRuKn81kQgVVs4ov8
2. Envia una captura del pago y nombre de tu PC ha este correo: [email protected]
3. Una vez verificado tu pago, te enviaremos la KEY de DESENCRIPTACION
4. Disfruta de tus archivos personales

Tus amigos ANONCRACK ;)

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

How did my computer get infected with Anoncrack ransomware?

There are many possible ways of ransomware injection.

Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for malefactors to have ransomware planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer networks.

If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malware file enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.

As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents 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 reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.

How to remove the Anoncrack virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Anoncrack virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware³ can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Sometimes racketeers would decrypt several of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. As Anoncrack virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.

Of course, if the criminals succeed in encoding someone’s critical data, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about criminals simply disappearing 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 critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be not enough. Your most important 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 drives with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.

Anoncrack is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. Examples of those are Oflg, Ofww, Towz, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Anoncrack are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in each directory containing encoded files.

Some lucky people were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a bandits’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.

How to avoid ransomware infiltration?

Anoncrack ransomware has no endless power, so as any similar malware.

You can defend your PC from its injection within three easy steps:

• Never open any letters from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (how can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A fake email will always have a mistake.
• Never use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often distributed as an element of cracked products, most likely under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to tell from reliable software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information on this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the best solution is not to use such software.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft⁴

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 “.crack” files?Can I somehow access “.crack” files?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.crack” files are decrypted.

🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.crack” files ASAP. How can I do that?

If the “.crack” 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.

🤔 What should I do if the Anoncrack virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Many of the encoded files might still be at your disposal

• If you exchanged your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• 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 downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, phone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can employ data recovery programs⁶ to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you can do it only after you kill the virus 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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