The Architek virus belongs to the ransomware type of malicious agent. Ransomware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the How to decrypt files.txt files in every directory which contains the encrypted files.
What is known about the Architekvirus?
☝️ A strictly correct denomination for the Architek would be “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Architek appends its extra .architek extension to every file’s title. For example, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.architek”. Likewise, the Excel table with the name “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.architek”, and so on.
In each folder containing the encoded files, a How to decrypt files.txt file will be found. 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 most probably contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is it.
Architek abstract:
| Name | Architek Virus |
| Extension | .architek |
| Ransomware note | How to decrypt files.txt |
| Detection | Trojan.Upatre.NT, Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.PK!MTB, Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.PJ!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .architek extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Architek virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Architek looks like. Each filename has the “.architek” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.architek” files look.
How did Architek ransomware end up on my PC?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited methods for malefactors to have ransomware settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer networks.
If you open your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malware item attached to them. Thus it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file model1. A Trojan is a program that gets into your computer pretending to be something else. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some program. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that encodes your data. As the installation wizard can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The optimal way is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer file transfer protocols like BitTorrent 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.
How to remove the Architek virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Architek virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware2 can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would decrypt few of your files to prove that they do have the decryption tool. Since Architek virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decryption tools are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the malefactors do the job of encoding someone’s critical files, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of racketeers simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
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. Surely, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.
Architek 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, White, Unlock, Rsfdd, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Architek are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in every directory containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate people were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decryption key to the wronged 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’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avert ransomware infiltration?
Architek ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can defend your computer from ransomware infiltration in several easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (how can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the questionable letter carefully. A hoax email will surely contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to tell from reliable ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect armor 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 Architek 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.architek” files?Can I somehow access “.architek” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.architek” files are decrypted.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.architek” files ASAP. How can I do that?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Architek virus?
No way! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete the malware from your computer. The ransomware that has infected your PC is most likely still active and it scans your system from time to time to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been said above, the Architek virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What to do if the Architek ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your system. To stop this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Some of the encrypted data can be located elsewhere.
- If you exchanged 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. Simply ask them to send 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 drives might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, phone, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can employ file recovery utilities5 to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the ransomware itself with an anti-malware 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 ARCHITEK Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ARCHITEK Virus
Description: ARCHITEK Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .architek 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 are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
