The Ash virus belongs under the Dcrtr ransomware family. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, leaving the ReadMe_Decryptor.txt text files in every directory containing encrypted files.
Ash virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically accurate denomination for the Ash would be “a Dcrtr family ransomware-type malicious agent”.
The renaming will be executed by the following scheme: {contact_email].ash. In the course of encryption, a file named, for instance, “report.docx” will be turned into “report.docx.[[email protected]].ash”.
In each folder containing the encoded files, a ReadMe_Decryptor.txt text file will appear. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the Ash developers. You can obtain this decoding tool after contacting [email protected] by email. That is how they do it.
Ash summary:
| Name | Ash Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Dcrtr ransomware |
| Extension | .ash |
| Ransomware note | ReadMe_Decryptor.txt |
| Contact | [email protected] |
| Detection | Win32/Packed.BlackMoon.A suspicious, BScope.TrojanDownloader.Deyma, Mal/Kryptik-BX |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .ash extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Ash virus |
The ReadMe_Decryptor.txt file accompanying the Ash malware provides the following dispiriting information:
To recover data, write here: [email protected] Do not modify files - this will damage them. Test decryption - 1 file < 500 Kb.
In the screenshot below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Ash looks like. Each filename has the ".ash" extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .ash files.
How did my machine catch Ash ransomware?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited methods for tamperers to have the Ash virus planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction 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 "from" field is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malware item enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
As for the peer-to-peer networks 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 websites. 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 Ash virus?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Ash virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware3 can extract your credentials from your browser's auto-filling data.
Often racketeers would decode few of your files so you know that they do have the decryption program. As Ash virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware designers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the decryption tools are frequently updated, so the solution may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the hackers succeed in encoding victim's critical files, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. However, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you're getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about ransomware developers just disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The best safety measure 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 disk. Of course, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the OS restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides Ash, that work similarly. For instance, Oflg, Ofww, Towz, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Ash are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in every folder containing encoded files.
Some lucky users were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals' technology to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avoid ransomware injection?
Ash ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can protect your system from its infiltration in several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the questionable email carefully. A fake letter will surely contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are very hard to tell from reliable software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal 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".
FAQ
🤔 Are the ".ash" files accessible?
There's no way to do it, unless the files ".ash" files are decrypted.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
🤔 What to do if the Ash malware has blocked my computer and I can't get the activation key.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Some of the blocked data can be found elsewhere.
- If you sent or received your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to give those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives 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.
HINT: You can employ file recovery programs6 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks 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 can do it only after you kill the virus 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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