The Anthraxbulletproof virus falls within the Chaos ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, leaving the read_it.txt files in every folder which contains the encrypted files.
Anthraxbulletproof virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly accurate denomination for the Anthraxbulletproof would be “a Chaos family ransomware infection”.
Anthraxbulletproof adds its own .Anthraxbulletproof extension to every file’s name. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.Anthraxbulletproof”. Just like the Excel file named “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.Anthraxbulletproof”, and so on.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a read_it.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the Anthraxbulletproof developers. That is it.
Anthraxbulletproof summary:
| Name | Anthraxbulletproof Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Chaos ransomware |
| Extension | .Anthraxbulletproof |
| Ransomware note | read_it.txt |
| Detection | Cydoor.Adware.Advertising.DDS, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Blocker.pef, Win32/GenKryptik.GCGO |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .Anthraxbulletproof extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Anthraxbulletproof virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Anthraxbulletproof looks like. Each filename has the “.Anthraxbulletproof” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .Anthraxbulletproof files.
How did Anthraxbulletproof ransomware end up on my PC?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for hackers to have ransomware acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you open your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is strange to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a malicious item attached to them. So it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse scheme2. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your PC pretending to be something different. For example, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that encodes your data. As the update file 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 companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Anthraxbulletproof virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Anthraxbulletproof virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your computer to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware3 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often criminals would decode several of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. As Anthraxbulletproof virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.
Of course, if the evildoers succeed in encoding someone’s critical data, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of hackers just disappearing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.
The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be insufficient. The most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Anthraxbulletproof, that work similarly. For instance, Nuis, Powd, Bowd, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Anthraxbulletproof are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes are found in every folder containing encoded files.
Some lucky victims were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware injection?
Anthraxbulletproof ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can protect yourself from its infiltration taking three easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes with strange 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 more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the suspicious email carefully. A fake email will always contain a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as a part of cracked products, most likely as a “patch” preventing the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from reliable ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try to find information on this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful armor for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft4
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft5.
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 PC.
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 computer for Anthraxbulletproof 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 finished, 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.Anthraxbulletproof” files?Are the “.Anthraxbulletproof” files accessible?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.Anthraxbulletproof” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
If the “.Anthraxbulletproof” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. 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.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Anthraxbulletproof virus?
No way! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with active threats. The ransomware that has infected your PC is must be still functional and it scans your system from time to time to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Anthraxbulletproof malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What to do if the Anthraxbulletproof ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to have a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your system. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal
- If you sent or received your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to give those images 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 disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a portable device, phone, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ data recovery programs6 to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: 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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Brendan SmithHow to Remove ANTHRAXBULLETPROOF Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ANTHRAXBULLETPROOF Virus
Description: ANTHRAXBULLETPROOF Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .Anthraxbulletproof extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- 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 are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
